Ripples
by Professor Wolfsbane
Summary: After an accident on a mission, will they make it home? Maybe they'll learn a few things along the way. Cross-posted from Ao3 (AconiteWolfsbane) Is now complete.
1. Prologue

**Central Europe, modern day:**

" **Okay, remember your training, stay close to each other, and if Garnet tells you to duck... hit the ground immediately.** " Pearl stepped off the warp pad.  
Connie nodded. " **Yes ma'am.** "  
" **Never argue with Future Vision.** " Steven nodded sagely.  
Bismuth chuckled. " **Yeah, I learned that a loongg time ago.** " she grinned.  
Amethyst stretched her arms back lazily. " **So, G... where this beasty at?** "  
Garnet adjusted her glasses briefly before she started walking. " **A few minutes this way.** "  
After a moment the others followed her down the hill.

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With a flash of light, Stevonnie appeared and quickly summoned a shield, flinging it at the giant deranged spiked squirrel like a frisbee. The shield slammed into the side of the creatures' head, and it gave a high-pitched chittering noise, causing them to cover their ears with a wince.  
" **Ugh, that noise is horrible.** " Stevonnie muttered to themselves with a shake of their head, their long dark-brown hair whipping behind them.  
Suddenly, the squirrel swung around, and Stevonnie was slammed with the giant scaly tail. The force of the impact broke them apart, and Steven and Connie flew through the air towards the cliff edge with simultaneous yelps.  
" **Connie!** " Pearl called as she leapt up to grab Steven.  
" **I got her!** " Beside her, Amethyst jumped up and quickly latched onto the girl as the cliff dropped beneath them.  
The momentum of the kids' flight sent the Gems along with them, over the cliff edge.

Beneath them, unseen, a flicker of light before a strange, multicoloured band appeared in mid-air.

As Garnet and Bismuth reached the edge of the cliff and looked down, the four dropped through the band, disappearing from sight.  
" **Wha...** " Garnet breathed, staring at the rippling band as it disappeared.  
Bismuth glanced over at her. " **What the hell was that?! Where'd they go?!** "  
" **I-I don't know...** " Garnet shook her head, confused.  
A screech behind them reminded the pair of the corrupted Gem beast and they quickly went back on the attack, the fight a more pressing concern for now.


	2. Revelations

Amethyst groaned and wiped the damp leaves from her face as she sat up, her light lavender hair full of loose twigs and leaves. " **Uhhh... Is everyone okay?** "  
Connie rolled over and rubbed her forehead, brushing a few stray strands of her short brown hair away from her face. " **Yeah, I think I'm okay... Steven?** "  
The boy scrambled out of a bush with a grunt. " **I'm okay... What happened? Where's Pearl?** "  
A rustle of branches from above drew their attention, and they looked up to spot Pearl dropping down through the branches. " **Are you all okay?** " she rushed to each one, checking them over and rubbing dirt from their faces.  
" **Yeah, I think we're all okay... What was that thing anyway?** "  
" **Shrug City, kiddo.** " Amethyst started pulling the debris from her hair.  
Pearl looked thoughtful. " **I'm... not entirely sure, to be honest. I've never encountered anything like that before. But, it doesn't seem to have sent us to another location. We're still in the same place, just at the bottom of that cliff.** "  
Steven looked around. " **Hey, where's Garnet? And Bismuth?** "  
Pearl looked around, her light blue eyes trailing up towards the cliff-face with concern, as she listened for the sounds of her two oldest friends calling for them. " **I... have no idea. Perhaps they're too busy fighting that creature? But,** **there's an easy way back up to the top of the cliff via a short walk that way.** " she briefly pointed to her left. " **We can climb back up and meet them at the warp pad.** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Eh, sounds like a plan.** "  
Pearl nodded, and as the group started walking, she glanced at towards the top of the cliff. " **I just hope they're both okay...** "

As the group entered a clearing, Pearl gasped. " **No... it can't be... This is impossible...** "  
" **Whoa... is that...?** " Connie stared, almost as starry-eyed as Steven as they stared at the spaceship sitting in a clearing.  
A rustling noise reached them through the trees, and in a quick flash of movement, Pearl turned, grabbed the three and pulled them all into a nearby hollow tree trunk. Her hands jammed onto Steven and Amethyst's mouths, with Connie nestled into the crook of her arm. " **Quiet!** " she hissed.  
" **The battle went well this time, but we should get back before the next scheduled check-in.** "  
" **Ugh... Yellow is such a pain...** "

Their gasps were muffled as Pearl and Rose Quartz walked into view. " **Mum?** " Steven whispered through Pearls thin fingers.  
The other Pearl stopped and looked around. " **I'm sure she's just concerned, what with those terrible, dangerous rebels around every corner...** " she grinned cheekily.  
Rose Quartz laughed. " **Oh yeah. I've heard about them. Especially that terrifying rogue pearl. You know, they say that she breathes fire and fights a squad of quartzes every day for fun.** " she winked.  
Pearl chuckled. " **That... actually does sound like fun.** "  
" **Pearl, no.** "  
" **Pearl, yes.** " she responded with a laugh.  
" **Peeeaarrrlllll...** " Rose groaned. " **What did I say about being crazy?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Not before noon? I don't know, I wasn't paying attention...** " she waved a hand dismissively and walked towards the ship, the bright pink diamond emblem on the side glinting slightly in the sunlight diffused through the trees.  
Rose crossed her arms and huffed as Pearl tapped the side of the ship, the door suddenly sliding open. " **Oh, you.** " she said, fondness in her voice.

Steven felt something pressed into his shoulder and glanced back at Pearl to see her eyes wide and mouth buried into his shirt as she shook. " **Pearl?** " he mumbled, her hand still clamped on his mouth.  
Amethyst and Connie glanced back at Pearl with concern for a moment, their eyes quickly returning to the impossible scene before them.

" **We really do need to get back now though. I can't even imagine how much paperwork is waiting for us...** " Pearl called, her form shimmering as she phased her battle clothes away in exchange for her pink diamond dress.  
Rose sighed. " **Oh, alright then... Paperwork... yay...** " she groaned. She started glowing and shifting until Pink Diamond was standing before them. " **No rest for the wicked, I suppose...** "  
" **No, my Diamond.** " Pearl bowed slightly and gave the diamond salute as Pink Diamond entered the ship, bending over to fit through the door. " **Certainly not for the likes of us.** " she added as she entered behind the larger gem, the door sliding shut behind her.  
The group crouched in the hollow tree trunk watched as the ship raised up from the ground and wheeled away towards the faintly glowing moon on the horizon.

Pearl hands slid away, and they turned to see her curled up with a sob. " **I wanted to scream at them... at us... warn them... about the Corruption...** " she whispered, her head buried in her knees as her hands worked themselves into her short peach-coloured hair. " **We were such idiots...** "  
Amethyst stood and started towards the clearing, but Pearl's arm whipped out to haul her back. " **Hey!** " Amethyst grunted. " **What gives?!** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **We need to stay here for a bit longer. Whenever we returned to the Moon Base, we always checked a few things using the observation orb. We made sure there wasn't anyone around to see Rose turn back into Pink Diamond, for starters. Then we checked to make sure the other Crystal Gems were still safe at camp, and then a quick scan to make sure there wasn't any loyalists moving in for an ambush or harming any known human settlements. Only then did we return to our actual duties.** " she sighed. " **If you step out now, they'll come back to make sure you don't tell anyone the secret. You'll be...** " she shrugged. " **Well, I'm not actually sure. We never had to deal with anyone who might have seen the truth... But I was fairly axe-crazy during the war.** ** _Especially_** **when Rose's true identity was involved. I** ** _really_** **don't want to have to fight myself to stop her from bubbling you.** "  
Amethyst paused. " **Oh. Uh... Okay... That's a good point...** "  
" **Besides...** " Pearl sighed. " **I think we'd have a hard time explaining why there's two of me and why Steven has Pink in his belly. Not to mention the damage to the timeline...** "  
Connie glanced over. " **So, you think we're in the past then?** "

Pearl rubbed her temples. " **I'm... not sure. It's a distinct possibility. The other option is that we've somehow been transported into my memories. If that is the case, then it's only a small mercy that it wasn't a more traumatic one...** " she muttered. " **But, it's increasingly likely that this is the past. My memories would have shifted us either to another event, or to the Moon Base to witness what happened next. The fact that we're still here in this forest, long after I left, mostly rules out that option...** " she looked out towards the clearing, her head dropping back to the trunk behind her as her fingers twisted nervously.  
" **I do remember that conversation. It was almost five hundred years after Garnet joined us, but before Pink became Rose permanently. Right now, we'd be checking the orb. In a few minutes, we'd returned to the main control room to receive a communication from Yellow Diamond, confirming that the colony's going well, despite the fact that the rebels are taking ground, blahblahblah...** " she rolled her eyes. " **The usual garbage we spouted to prevent them from coming and taking over the colony themselves... Then we had several days' worth of paperwork to catch up on, mostly about the various ongoing construction projects around the planets. At the same time, we'd be looking out for anything we could later sabotage as Crystal Gems without too much risk of capture. It was a risky game we played... We were so stupid...** " she closed her eyes sadly.

" **So, what now?** " Amethyst prompted after a while.  
Pearl opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say was halted by a loud rumbling noise. Her eyes snapped open.  
" **Err... Sorry guys...** " Steven grinned sheepishly, holding his stomach. " **I'm hungry...** "  
Connie nodded. " **Yeah, I could eat.** "  
Pearl glanced outside. " **Hmm... I do know of a human settlement nearby. Traditional courtesy** **would cause them to extend any dinner plans to you. Granted, it wouldn't be anything you're used to, and I have no idea how any of it would affect you, but... At least it'll calm those beasts in your bellies.** " she smirked as Connie's stomach gave a growl.  
The young girl blushed deeply. " **Yes, it is a hungry beast, and requires regular sacrifices.** "  
" **Feed meee!** " Steven mock-growled as he held his belly, jiggling it slightly.  
Amethyst snorted. " **Quick, before the beasts devour us all!** "  
Pearl started to crawl out of the tree trunk. " **Calm down, we have a short hike ahead of us first.** "

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The group stood on the hill and looked down on the small settlement of roundhouses ahead. The sounds of laughter, barking dogs and chatter rose up towards them, and the smell of cooking meat billowed on the smoke, enticing them further.  
" **Okay kids, before we go down, a couple of details.** " Pearl snapped her fingers, drawing their attention. " **Firstly, this particular group has some... ideas, or traditions, that will affect you two.** " she pointed at Steven and Connie. " **They don't allow unrelated men and women to travel together, unless they're married. You're not going to pass as siblings, so for the duration of our stay here, if anyone asks me, I'll need to claim that you're married.** "  
The two young teens blushed deeply, glancing at each other and looking away as Amethyst sniggered. " **Wooo, lovebirds...** "  
Pearl hid a smile behind her hand. " **Now, I'm the only one here who can actually understand their language, so I'll just tell them that you come from a land across the sea, which will explain your clothes, language and anything that confuses them.** "

Pearl paused for a moment and looked down at herself. " **Hmm... Speaking of clothing... I should probably change into something they've seen me in before..."** She shimmered and phased her clothes into what looked like brown skins with a star-shaped patch of white fur over the right shoulder. Another quick shimmer, and dotted tattoos spiralled around her arms, creating an animal-like image on her upper right arm and a dotted star on her left. Pearl looked back down at herself. " **Okay, that should do it.** "  
" **Whoa!** " Steven's eyes sparkled with wonder.  
Connie moved to get a better look at the tattoos. " **Does this one mean anything? Or is it just decoration?** " she asked, pointing at Pearl's right arm.  
Pearl glanced at it. " **Oh, yes. They only gave this one to a hunter who had fought a sabre-tooth and survived.** "  
At their stunned faces, she added. " **There was a little boy, the tiger was going to kill him, I just... reacted...** " she shrugged. " **Afterwards, someone sat me down and gave me this. I just phased it away and back when I needed to.** "

Pearl looked back at the settlement and sighed. " **One last detail... These people usually avoid drinking the river water, due to contaminates. Of course, they didn't understand that it was because they used rivers as open sewers...** " she frowned. " **And they barely understand that boiling the water made them less likely to get sick. So, they generally used it to brew beer. That will be the only drink available for you to have. And they'll think it's strange if you don't partake... Under normal circumstances, you're far too young. But there really isn't much other choice. I do have some bottled water stored in my gem for emergencies, yes, but it's a limited amount, and there's no way of knowing how long we're going to be stranded... So partaking in the local brew may be unavoidable. I can only advise you to sip small amounts, and only when necessary.** "  
Steven and Connie nodded. " **This is definitely something I won't be telling my parents about later...** " Connie sighed.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes, I would appreciate if you** ** _didn't_** **let them know that I've put you into a situation where you have to drink alcohol...** "

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The group held back as Pearl was greeted warmly, watching as she spoke and laughed with them like old friends. After a short time, she turned back to them, waving them over. " **Okay, I've explained that we're travelling together, and that you two are a couple who got separated from your tribe. They've invited us to join them. It seems that venison is on the menu tonight, along with various tubers, nuts and fire-roasted apples, apparently. I hope that's okay with both of you.** "  
Connie's stomach growled loudly.  
" **Well, someone likes the sound of that.** " Amethyst smirked.  
Connie blushed. " **I haven't eaten since breakfast...** ** _Everything_** **sounds good right now...** "

" **Huh. So that's what beer tastes like...** " Connie mused after a small sip from the wooden bowl.  
Pearl glanced over. " **Well, the recipe and method of brewing it has changed a lot over the millennia... So, I doubt it's** ** _exactly_** **like the modern drink you won't be allowed to have for many years... But at this point in time, yes. That is how is tastes.** "  
Steven giggled. " **It makes my nose tingle.** "  
" **Don't have too much, or everything will tingle.** " Amethyst smirked, reaching over and taking the bowl, placing it on the ground in front of him. " **Eat some more meat.** " she added, shoving a chunk of roasted meat into his hands.  
" **Ooh, hothothot...** " he hissed, juggling it slightly before taking a large bite, juices dripping down his arms.  
" **That** **kinda looks like a yam...** " Connie pointed at the oddly-shaped roasted object before her.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes, it's a very similar tuber. Mind, it'll likely taste different to yam; humans have developed entirely new species over time of course; but it's still the essentially the same thing. And those are... oh yes, roasted acorns. Rose claimed they tasted like mashed yam... But I rarely take food advice from someone who eats buttercup, honeysuckle and daffodil flowers...** " she frowned as she shivered with disgust. " **And those aren't even the weirdest things I saw her eat...** "

A heavily pregnant woman across the group suddenly grimaced and clutched the arm of the man next to her. She was quickly rushed away into a roundhouse by two other women.  
Pearl nodded. " **Well, that answers that then.** "  
Connie and Steven glanced at each other. " **Uh, what do you mean?** " they said, almost in unison.  
Pearl looked back. " **Oh. Well, the first time around, I returned to this group to learn that Serachi... that woman, had successfully** **had her baby two weeks previously. What struck me as odd was the fact that they claimed that I was here at the time.** "  
Amethyst grabbed a handful of acorns and started popping them into her mouth. " **I'm guessing you weren't?** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Correct. I was dealing with a backlog of paperwork at the time. But the strangest part of it is this; they said that I was here with a boy, a girl and a purple gem.** "

Amethyst choked slightly on an acorn, and Pearl reached out and gave her a quick thump on the back. " **Wait... wait?!** " she exclaimed, after downing some beer.  
Pearl shrugged. " **That's what I thought at the time. I was quite confused, obviously, but I figured that maybe some other pearl had visited with her owner, and they just... mistook her for me. To be fair, it's an easy mistake to make if you don't know that there are hundreds of pearls...** "  
Connie took another sip thoughtfully. " **So... what does this mean? What did it answer?** "  
" **Well, for starters, that conversation finally makes sense to me. It only took fifty-two hundred years...** " she muttered. " **But, it** ** _was_** **me. And you three. We're apparently in a stable time-loop. Chances are, whatever we do whilst we're here will either be inconsequential and have no impact on future events; or was supposed to happen, like coming to this particular settlement and joining their meal. We'd have to** ** _really_** **be trying hard to damage the timeline. Like... steal a ship, go to the Moon Base and talk Pink out of faking her own shattering. Something important like that could... well...** " she paused for a moment, deep in thought.  
" **Hmm... Well, it could create an entirely new timeline, one where the Corruption didn't happen, and the war continued to the point where we simply couldn't fight anymore. Pink and I would undoubtedly be forced to tell the Diamonds the truth at that point, and one of them would take over the colony themselves. The Earth would have become just another of Yellows... or Blues, colonies. The hologram you saw on the Moon Base would be the Earth of that timeline.** " she nodded at Steven and Amethyst.

Connie looked over. " **Uh... what hologram?** "  
Steven turned to her. " **It's really bad. The Earth was going to be hollowed out for resources, with heaps of kindergartens and spires... Only gems could survive it, so humans would be extinct, and everything else that makes the Earth so great too...** "  
Pearl sighed. " **We really are a terrible species.** "  
The group was silent at that.

Pearl spoke up again. " **We'd likely never see that timeline, of course. For starters, I'm not so silly as to try to change the past. Even if it was terrible, and a great many wonderful gems were shattered or corrupted...** " she paused and sighed. " **Everything that has happened, has happened. We can't change that, not matter what. There's no telling what damage that would cause. And even if we did change it, chances are, it'd be pointless from our point of view. Once we figured out how to return home, we'd be placed back into our own timeline, where the Corruption happened. So, any changes wouldn't affect us.** "  
" **But wait...** " Amethyst raised a hand. " **How can we return to our... whatever, if we change it? Wouldn't it disappear?** "  
Pearl smiled. " **No. That would create a paradox. If our timeline doesn't exist, we can't come back and change anything to erase it, so our timeline exists. It's a classic Grandfather Paradox situation.** "  
Connie nodded. " **That makes sense.** "  
" **Oh yeah! Like in the 'Return to the Past' trilogy!** " Steven exclaimed, grinning.  
Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Those are rather scientifically inaccurate movies, Steven... but in this case, yes, their explanation is good enough. Of course, now we just need to figured out a way to get home.** "

 ** _A short while later..._**  
Connie giggled as Steven flopped over with a snore.  
Pearl sighed. " **Well, so much for not drinking too much...** "  
Amethyst stood. " **Okay, I can carry him if you wrangle little Miss Gigglepants over there.** "  
" **Gigglepants...** " Connie snickered. " **That's funny. You're funny.** " she fell over, laughing.  
Pearl quickly spoke with one of the women of the settlement. " **Okay, we can use that hut over there. Come on, Giggles.** " she chuckled, placing a hand on Connie's back and gently steering her towards the offered roundhouse.  
Behind her, Amethyst picked Steven up carefully. " **Don't throw up on me dude, okay?** " she muttered to the sleeping boy.  
After getting the two settled, Pearl threw a blanket over them. " **Connie, go to sleep.** "  
" **I don know where dat is...** " Connie murmured, drifting off shortly after.  
" **Yeah, her parents can never know about this...** " Amethyst sighed, settling down nearby.  
" **Agreed.** " Pearl nodded.

 **Beach City, modern day:**

" **Pearl?!** " Garnet called out as the light of the warp pad faded. " **Steven?** " She moved around the empty room, checking the bathroom as Bismuth looked outside. " **Amethyst? Connie?** "  
" **No-one out here, Garnet...** " she reported back.  
Garnet sat on the couch. " **Then, we wait.** "  
Bismuth nodded and sat beside her. " **Wouldn't be the first time we waited for Pearl to return from a mission.** "

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" **Hello?** "  
Garnet looked over at the door and sighed when she saw Connie's mother standing there. " **Oh. Come in.** "  
" **Thank you.** " Priyanka closed the door behind her and looked around. " **I've come to pick up Connie. She's not answering her phone, and I just keep getting an 'Out of Service' message. If her training sessions are going to be going this late, I would prefer prior notice.** "  
Garnet and Bismuth glanced at each other. " **Yeah...** " Bismuth started, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. " **Ya might want to sit down...** "  
Garnet nodded. " **I'll make some tea. Bismuth, you go and get Greg. He should be here for this too...** "

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" **...And that's it...** " Bismuth finished.  
Greg sighed. " **Ah, geez... And this was how many hours ago?** "  
Garnet shrugged. " **Late this morning... So around six hours or so now...** "  
Priyanka started pacing. " **How can all of you be so calm about this?! Our children are** ** _missing_** **!** "  
Garnet stood and placed a hand on each of Priyanka's shoulders, carefully but firmly steering her towards the couch. " **I assure you, I am worried beyond belief. However, Pearl and Amethyst are with them. Pearl is very smart, and never gives up. If they had to go missing with anyone, Pearl is the best choice, because she will not quit until they're all home safely. And Amethyst is savvy enough to get out of trouble almost as quickly as she gets into it. She can shapeshift better than anyone else I know; she won't hesitate to do so to protect those kids. They make a good team, when they bother getting along.** "  
Greg nodded. " **Yeah, it could be worse, Priyanka. The kids could be scared and alone. But, you should probably let Doug know what's going on.** "  
Priyanka took out her cell phone and started dialling, moving into the small kitchen area to make the call.  
Bismuth sighed. " **Now... Which one of us is going to tell the Diamonds what's going on?** "


	3. Making Plans

**Central** **Europe, 5257 years ago:**

 ** _Late the next morning:_**  
" **Ugh... my mouth tastes horrible...** " Connie moaned as she rolled over.  
Pearl entered the roundhouse, a small bowl in each hand. " **Ah, good. You're finally awake. Here, eat this.** " she held out a bowl to her, and Connie saw that there were five small boiled eggs, already peeled. " **It'll help.** " Pearl said, moving over to nudge Steven awake.  
Connie started eating slowly, but quickly gulped down the food as she became more coherent.  
Steven hazily shoved two whole eggs into his mouth, eyes blinking slowly as his cheeks bulged outwards, chewing slowly.  
" **Hey... These are pretty small eggs...** " Connie mused sleepily. " **What kind of bird did they come from?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **No idea. Some sort of wild bird. These people are almost hunter-gatherers. They forage for the majority of their food whilst they wait for their small crop to grow.** " She paused to take a bottle of water and two plastic cups from her gem, pouring it out. " **But, eggs are eggs. And eggs are apparently good for humans who have had far too much alcohol. As is proper hydration. Drink.** "  
She held out the cups, and they quickly gulped them down.  
Pearl allowed them each one more cupful before she stored the items again. " **We have to preserve as much water as possible, in case of dire emergencies. We have no idea how long it's going to take to return to our proper time. If we get stranded at any point, away from safe water sources, what I have can be stretched for... maybe a week, at the most.** "

Connie leaned back against the wall. " **Okay... so... What are our options here? How are we going to get back? Or... go forwards, I guess...** "  
Pearl sighed deeply. " **I'm been thinking about that since I saw myself yesterday. I've only been able to come up with two options.** "  
The group perked up. Amethyst grinned. " **Ha! I knew this genius could figure this out!** "  
Pearl blushed. " **I wouldn't go that far... These are really only possible solutions, neither of which have no real guarantee of success. One is very likely to fail, the other... maybe only a twenty-seven percent chance of dying horribly.** " she grimaced.  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Eh. We've faced worse odds. What about that time with the giant scorpion?** "  
Pearl rolled her eyes. " **That was easy compared to that** ** _disgusting_** **venomous slug... brrr...** " she shivered at the memory.  
" **Oh yeah... that thing was messed up! So gross!** " Amethyst nodded, disgust clear on her face. " **And coming from me, that's saying a lot.** "

" **So, options?** " Connie prompted.  
Pearl paused and glanced over. " **Uh, right. So, option one: I put you into my gem. Things don't age or decomposed when in storage, so if I put you in there, you'll essentially be ageless. I could easily survive another five thousand years, going deep underground to avoid the corruption of course, and take you out in our correct time. The hard part will be avoiding affecting any historical events, causing something to happen that wasn't supposed to, or worse, preventing a necessary event from occurring.** "  
Amethyst raised her hand. " **By you, ya mean us, right?** " she pointed between them.  
Pearl glanced at her and nodded. " **Oh, yes. Pearl's don't do too well alone, so without anyone to keep me company, I'd probably go completely insane and forget the kids are in there. So yes, the two of us will have to avoid the corruption and running into ourselves during the next five thousa... Oh no... no...** "

The group watched as Pearl stood and started pacing, muttering to herself.  
" **Uh... is everything okay, Pearl.** " Steven reached out and lightly touched her sash.  
Pearl stopped and shook her head. " **That's not going to work... I forgot about entropic cascade failure...** "  
" **What the heck is that?** " Amethyst groaned, sensing one of Pearl's lectures, and moving to get comfortable.  
" **Entropic cascade failure.** " Pearl sat down in front of them. " **You see...** " Pearl reached out and gathered some dust from the floor, shaping it into two small Pearls. One was wearing her usual sash, the other was wearing the outfit they had seen the younger Pearl wearing the previous day. " **...The same person cannot exist in the same place and time period as another version of themselves, younger or older. The time stream is quite fluid, and self-repairing. If an anomaly is detected, measures are taken to... fix the problem. After an... unknown, amount of time, the extraneous copy, the one who doesn't belong in that time and place, is...** " she sighed, and twitched her fingers. The small version of herself doubled over briefly before falling to the ground and exploding back into dust. " **...deleted. Painfully.** "

" **Geez...** " Amethyst breathed. " **This is bad... You're gonna...** "  
Pearl shrugged and sighed. " **The only one of us who is truly safe, is Connie.** "  
The group glanced over at her. " **M-me?** " Connie stammered.  
Pearl nodded. " **No version of you will exist for another five thousand years. Although, spending the rest of your life stranded in the past is definitely** ** _not_** **the preferred option. However,...** " Pearl flexed her fingers again, and the dust reformed into a small Steven and Rose. " **Steven...** ** _might_** **be in trouble. Uh... I'm not entirely certain what's going to happen with him. He is an entirely different entity than his mother, yes, but he has her gem, which does exist here.** "  
Pearl twitched her fingers in a seemingly random pattern, and they watched as the dust figure of Steven doubled over, and the gem disappeared from his stomach.  
" **If entropic cascade failure affects him, his gem, the second version of his mother, could disappear forever, leaving only his human half behind. But...** " she paused and sighed sadly, as the small dust-Steven dropped to the ground and stayed. " **...we don't know what will happen to Steven without his gem. Removal in any way would most likely be fatal to him.** "

Steven gulped nervously as Connie placed a hand on his arm and Amethyst wrapped him in a hug. " **W-what about Amethyst?** " Steven asked, causing the purple gem to look over at Pearl.  
Pearl shrugged and relaxed her fingers, the dust falling back to the floor. " **Honestly, I have no idea. Technically, she currently both does and does not exist. Amethyst won't emerge from her hole for at least another few hundred years, yes, but she has already been seeded and is developing as we speak. Her gem already exists, she just hasn't gained sentience yet. So, she may be on borrowed time like Steven and myself, or she may be fine for a few hundred years until her original emergence. So, to put it all as simply as I can: We can't just wait out the five thousand years because we only have a limited amount of time here before entropy starts to affect us.** "

The group fell silent. Finally, Steven sighed. " **So... what was the other option?** "  
Pearl grimaced. " **You mean the one that's very likely to fail? We try to get back to our own time, before entropic cascade failure starts to affect us.** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **A'ight. How we do that?** "  
Pearl created a hologram in front of them. They saw small pieces moving around, and what looked similar to a circuit board. " **Hmm... I'm already working on that... I'll have to create some sort of device to detect similar anomalies to the one that brought us here. And do so with enough lead time for us to reach it.** "  
" **Why is this the most likely to fail?** " Connie asked.  
Pearl sighed. " **Well, for starters, it'll definitely take multiple attempts to find another anomaly that will return us to our own time period, either a short time after we left or close enough to it to avoid entropic cascade failure. Also...** " she sighed and stopped the hologram. " **We trapped more than five thousand years in the past. Human technology at this point consists of various kinds of sharpened rocks! Honestly, they only comparatively recently figured out the wheel!** " she groaned as she laid down and place an arm over her eyes. " **Which leads us to our biggest problem.** " she muttered.  
" **Which is?** " Amethyst prompted.  
Pearl sat up. " **There's only one place I could possibly get the parts I need to build this thing...** " she rubbed her temples in frustration. " **...Homeworld.** "

Steven shuddered. " **Uh, the first time I was there, I was put on trial, Lars died and I had to bring him back to life... and then White Diamond held me prisoner, and we all almost died...** "  
" **That's rough, buddy.** " Amethyst placed a hand on his shoulder. " **But maybe things were different during the war...** "  
" **Well, not by much, to be honest.** " Pearl sighed sadly. " **Homeworld was... horrible... Especially for a pearl...** " she groaned and laid back again. " **And we have to figure out how to get there, and back, without being caught, and fast enough that entropy does not affect us. At least the Galaxy Warp is still working at this point in time. We just need a valid reason to travel.** "

After a brief moment of silence, Connie spoke up. " **Maybe... Steven and I could be human prisoners?** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **No. For starters, it's far too risky. Besides, it would be rather suspicious. Human prisoners would be taken to the Zoo, via a transport ship. So, there'd be no reason to use the Galaxy Warp to access Homeworld. The Gems guarding the Galaxy Warp would know that and ask questions.** "  
" **Oh...** " Connie sighed. " **Yeah, good point.** "  
" **What about Stevonnie?** " Steven asked. " **We could fuse, and...** "  
" **No.** "

Pearl sat up. " **No. Even though Stevonnie doesn't look like a conventional fusion, having only one gem, that gem is** ** _very_** **noticeable. All it would take is one Gem recognising what appears to be a Rose Quartz, and you'd likely be attacked. All the Rose Quartzes are currently bubbled at the Zoo. The only one known to be active at this point of the war, was your mother. Well, as far as Homeworld knew, anyway...** " she rolled her eyes. " **Honestly, the only viable way to get you both safely there and back is to store the pair of you in my gem.** "  
Steven and Connie both groaned. " **Aww! No fair!** "  
" **I wanted to see what Homeworld looked like during the war...** " Connie sighed.  
Pearl smiled. " **Well, if I find a chance to safely bring you back out, without getting caught, I can do so.** " she smiled as the girl's eyes lit up. " **But I make no promises. Of course, that still leaves the question of how to get there in the first place. Even if it's just me...** "

" **Hey, question...** " Amethyst paused at they all looked at her. " **If Sapphire was, like, a high classed gem, was she the kind that would... ya know... own a pearl?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Of course. She was an aristocratic Gem, so naturally, she would have owned a pearl. Actually, I'm surprised that she didn't bring one of us with her. I'm... going to have to ask her about that when we get back...** " she mused before shaking her head. " **Why did you ask?** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Well, I was thinking... What if I shapeshift into a sapphire? If anyone asks why I want to go to Homeworld, I can just be like... '** ** _it was fated_** **'... ya know, all mysterious and stuff?** "  
Pearl stared at her. " **Amethyst, that's... actually a really good idea!** "  
Amethyst looked surprised. " **Wha... really?!** " she blushed.  
" **Yes!** " Pearl nodded enthusiastically. " **I mean, purple sapphires are rare, but that usually means more important. It's very unlikely that anyone would question a sapphire wishing to travel. Of course, you'd have to have a different gem placement than our sapphire, and cover up your own gem... Oh! And you'll need to give yourself a Diamond insignia. Either blue or yellow would be good choices... Actually, yellow might be best. Homeworld might be a bit suspicious of a Blue Diamond sapphire leaving Earth, considering what happened to the last one that came here...** " she smirked. " **Also, you could claim to have had an important vision about the rebels that needs to be shared with your Diamond,** ** _immediately_** **. That should get us rushed through the Galaxy Warp quickly, regardless of anyone else who wants to travel.** "

Amethyst stood up. " **Okay, just give me a moment, see what I can do.** " she held still for a moment before her form started to glow and reshape itself. After a moment, a purple sapphire stood before them in a dark purple ruffled dress, her long bangs covering her eye, and a bright yellow diamond on her chest. She pointed at the triangular faceted gem high on her forehead. " **This a good spot? If you need to pretend to belong to me, I figured we should be in roughly the same spot...** "  
" **Yes! That is perfect!** " Pearl stood and circled around Amethyst, checking her shapeshifted form. " **Even Sapphire would be confused...** " she clapped happily. " **This is a really great idea, Amethyst! Well done!** "  
Amethyst blushed deeply. " **Awww... stop... you're embarrassing me...** "  
Steven grinned. " **Amethyst! That's really cool! How does it feel to only have one eye?** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Meh. I usually have one covered anyway, so it's not really an issue.** "

" **Okay, you can go back to normal now. Just remember that form for later though.** "  
Amethyst nodded and stopped shapeshifting with a sigh. " **At least me and Sapphy are roughly the same size. I won't need to work too hard to hold her form, like I did with Jasper. So I should be able to keep it going for a few hours, at least.** "  
" **Well, you are one of the most skilled shapeshifters I've ever met, so if anyone can do this, it's you.** " Pearl nodded, patting Amethyst's shoulder.  
Amethyst blushed and moved her hair to partially cover her burning face. " **Ah, geez... Ya getting mushy on me...** "  
" **Now, I'll need to go over a few things with you, about Homeworld, and how you need to behave. For starters...** "  
Amethyst grunted at Pearls lecturing tone. " **Ugh! Pearl, it'll be fine! I know how to act like Sapphire.** "  
Pearl glared at her.

" **No! No, you** ** _don't_** **! You have** ** _no_** **idea what Homeworld is really like, because you've** ** _never_** **had to try to fit in there! I** ** _have_** **! It's a place where someone acts even** ** _slightly_** **out of what considered** ** _'normal'_** **, they're reported as defective. As a sapphire, if you seem to have no idea what's going to happen at any point, if you show shock, or amazement, or any kind of emotion other than '** ** _I knew this would happen_** **', it'll attract attention. If we get caught, we risk being** ** _shattered_** **, Amethyst. Do you** ** _know_** **what happens to the things a pearl has stored when she's shattered, huh?** ** _They cease to exist_** **. Steven and Connie will die with me.** " she pointed at them.  
Amethyst glanced at the two suddenly nervous teens with fear.  
" **It is** ** _vitally_** **important that you act** ** _exactly_** **like a sapphire.** " Pearl continued, pacing in front of her anxiously. " **Not** ** _our_** **Sapphire; she's learned to behave the way she does during the last 5000 years... You need to be emotionless, clinical, like nothing can surprise you because you know** ** _exactly_** **what going to happen at any given moment..."**  
Amethyst grabbed Pearl by the hands, holding her in place. " **Okay! Okay, I get it! I'll listen. Just... tell me how to not screw this up.** "


	4. Homeworld

" **Okay, I believe that's everything... Steven, Connie... You can have a quick meal before we head off to the warp pad. But I implore you to eat only a small amount. There are no toilets on Homeworld, and we'll likely be there for at least a few hours. And there is** ** _no_** **way either of you are doing** ** _that_** **inside my gem.** " she glared at them briefly before she shuddered with disgust. " **I also hope I don't have to warn you against drinking this time.** "  
Steven and Connie blushed. " **Yeah, I'm... never drinking again. The headache wasn't worth it.** "  
" **Or that weird taste when I woke up...** " Connie added, sticking her tongue out in a grimace.  
Pearl nodded. " **Whilst you're eating, I'll finalised the design of that detector. There are only a few small details to work out... I should have it all figured out by the time I get access to the materials.** "

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" **There's the warp pad!** " Steven called, running ahead.  
Pearl nodded as they caught up with him. " **Okay, Amethyst, you need to shapeshift now, so I can adjust my form to match.** "  
Amethyst nodded, and after a brief glow of white light, a sapphire stood before them.  
Pearl looked her over briefly and closed her eyes. Her form sparkled, and she phased on new clothes, creating a matching purple dress. " **Oh! That's wrong...** " Pearl tapped the pink diamond on her chest, and it changed to a bright yellow. " **Ugh, that just** ** _feels_** **wrong... but I can live with it for now.** " Reaching one hand up to her hair, they watched in awe as her hair seemed to rapidly grow out to waist-length, with long bangs that covered the top of her face, her gem poking out from a small gap in the middle. She quickly looked herself over and gave a quick spin. " **So, how do I look?** "  
Steven's eyes sparkled. " **That. Was. Awesome!** " he exclaimed, rushing forwards to give her a hug.  
" **Man...** " Connie sighed. " **I wish I could do that. It'd save so much time getting ready in the morning...** "  
Amethyst stared, amazed. " **Was that... shapeshifting? Or did you just phase your hair out?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **A bit of both. I can hold this form for as long as necessary. Believe me; infiltration was part of my speciality during the rebellion. I know all about blending in, getting the job done, and getting out without being caught. Okay, I got caught once... but that didn't stop me from completing my mission."** she shrugged. " **So, if everyone's ready...** " she held out a hand.  
Steven nodded and grabbed it.  
Amethyst and Connie watched as Steven was lifted up and swiftly disappeared into Pearls' gem.  
" **Connie, your turn.** " Pearl held her hand out with a smile.  
Connie nodded, and felt herself being lifted up with a flash of light.

 **Steven and Connie's POV:**

" **Connie! Meet the Pearl inside Pearl's pearl!** " Steven exclaimed happily.  
Connie opened her eyes to see Pearl was standing before her, with a vast white space around them. " **Oh, uh... hi ma'am.** "  
Pearl gave a small bow with a smile. " **Surface Pearl will be just fine. Hello Connie. I'm quite familiar with you. I do know everything that Pearl knows. Just as all of the... others... do.** " she added with a frown, before brightening. " **We are all quite pleased with your progress during training. And I'll admit, we were all cheering madly for you when you tried to take on Blue Diamond.** "  
Connie blushed. " **Sorry I got Rose's sword broken though. I know it was important to you.** "  
Surface Pearl shrugged. " **To be honest, it did bring back a lot of memories... not all of them good ones...** " she sighed sadly.  
Steven glanced around. " **Hey, can we see what you've got stored in here? Seeing as we probably have a lot of time to burn...** "  
Surface Pearl smiled. " **Oh, certainly! Well, some things are off limits of course, and the vast majority are actually just rather boring knickknacks I've picked up over the past few millennia... But I'm sure we can find something interesting to look at.** "  
" **Like your shotgun?** " Steven smirked at her.  
Connie gaped at her. " **Wait... you have a shotgun?!** "  
Surface Pearl blushed. " **I grabbed it off some man who was attempting to shoot me with it. It was essentially self-defence!** " she huffed.

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" **And this is a unit that soldiers, usually quartzes, played various type of games on. It was originally developed in an attempt to teach them some sort of strategy, but they mostly used it to gamble.** " she rolled her eyes as she pointed to the square box-like device halfway along the middle row.  
Steven's eyes lit up. " **Games?! Gem games?! I wanna play one!** " he bounced up and down with excitement.  
Surface Pearl glanced down at him. " **Oh? Well, they are mostly simple games, very quick and easy to learn... Okay.** " Reaching up, she grabbed the item, and walked a short distance away before sitting down.  
Steven and Connie quickly joined her.

" **Okay, uh...** " Surface Pearl turned the device on and starting flipping through screens. " **Let's see now... Hmm... This one.** " she tapped a screen, and gridlines appeared on the board. A small drawer popped out, and she started to remove the small coloured pieces, placing them onto the board in sequence. " **Okay, this is a strategy game that generally quick and easy to learn. Most of these games can actually take several days to finish playing, but this one's easily played within maybe... an hour?** "  
" **Days?!** " Connie gasped. " **Gems play these for days?** "  
Surface Pearl shrugged. " **Well, we don't need to eat, drink, or sleep. And soldier gems can have years between battles, or orders. They need to occupy themselves somehow, or they tend to get destructive. These machines were actually outlawed a long time ago, on the grounds of being distracting, inciting gambling which led to pointless fights and of course the fact that they have** ** _nothing_** **to do with anyone's actual purposes... But after some quartzes went on a boredom-induced rampage around Homeworld, the Diamonds decided to allow the games to be played. Of course, Rose encourage the Crystal Gems to play these to keep up morale. Which usually led to someone challenging me to a game. And getting the pants beaten off of them.** " she smirked. " **Never gamble against me, you'll lose everything. Especially when it comes to strategy. Challenge Ruby; she never wins.** " she added with a giggle.

Surface Pearl pointed at two square patches on the side of the unit. " **Now, these panels slide open to accept the bets from each player. There's also sensor units here... and here...** " she pointed at two other spots. " **These prevent either player from getting up before the game is over. If they do, they forfeit. This particular game doesn't require any bets, and can just be played for fun. Leaving the board is still considered a forfeit though. Now, let me explain the rules...** "

 **Amethyst & Pearl's POV** **:**

Amethyst bit back a gasp. ' _Oh crap... I wasn't expecting_ ** _this_** _many Gems..._ ' she thought, nervous to see two large gems assigned to each warp pad. ' _Keep cool..._ '  
She walked slowly to the largest warp pad and paused at the bottom of the steps, her hands clasped in front of her to prevent them from trembling.  
Pearl darted forwards. " **My Sapphire urgently needs to return to Homeworld, to discuss an important matter with our Lustrous Diamond.** " she saluted, her arms bent in front of her into a diamond shape.  
The Topaz grunted. " **Proceed.** " she nodded back at the large Carnelian at the top.  
Amethyst and Pearl walked up the steps and stood on the warp pad. In a flash, Pearl activated the warp, and they lifted up.

Amethyst sighed. " **Geez, I didn't know there'd be that many guards in that one place...** "  
Pearl glanced at her. " **Yes. There used to only be two guards for the entire Galaxy Warp... But because of the rebellion, they increased the numbers to prevent us from causing havoc on Homeworld, or spreading dissent. That didn't stop us, of course...** " she smirked. " **It just made us sneakier about it.** "  
Amethyst nodded and looked up towards their destination. " **Wow, this is the longest warp I've ever been in...** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Well, we are going to another galaxy. It will take another minute or so to reach the main warp pad on Homeworld. There will be hundreds of Gems, including many other amethysts. Try not to get overwhelmed, or drawn into a conversation. If anyone tries to talk to you, don't answer. I'll try to deter them with our cover-story, of needing to speak with Yellow Diamond. Hopefully, they won't decide to brown-nose you by escorting us there personally...** " she sighed and glanced up, checking their progress. " **If that happens, the first chance we get, I'll dissipate their form, and we slip away.** "  
" **So, where exactly are we going anyway? To get these parts? Some sort of electronics store, or something?** " Amethyst glanced up at Pearl, just barely able to see her eyes under her bangs.  
Pearl shook her head. " **No. Our species never actually developed any monetary system, unless you count the small sparkly pebbles, shells and bits of metal that soldiers use to gamble with... We'll need to find a storage warehouse with parts, and dig through as many crates as necessary to find what I need. Unless...** " she paused.  
" **Unless...** " Amethyst prompted.  
Pearl glanced down at her, then up at the approaching end of the warp. " **...We ask for help. Just follow me. I have an idea.** "

The blue light faded away, and the shapeshifted Amethyst followed Pearl off the warp pad, trying not to gape at all of the Gems walking swiftly around them. Many Gems swerved and went around her, several of them greeting her with the diamond salute. " **Greetings, your Clarity.** " " **Welcome back, Grand Clarity.** "  
They turned into a large wide boulevard, with hundreds of Gems teeming around them. Pearl led the way, her eyes darting cautiously around behind her bangs. Amethyst followed her into a narrow alleyway, trying her best to stay calm.

The scenery changed slowly, the buildings getting smaller and more worn down. The hundreds of Gems trickled away, and there was now only a few dozen Gems wandering around, saluting her from across the narrow street. Pearl slowed down and allowed Amethyst to catch up. " **This is the... well, I'd call it the warehouse and factory district. Supplies for colonies are built and stored until it's time for them to be transported to a new planet. As you can see, it's... not the best part of the capital...** " she eyed a large pile of rubble to their left, a gaping hole in the dilapidated building above.  
Amethyst gave a quick nod. " **'Kay. How much longer 'til we get to... wherever we're going?** "  
Pearl gave a quick smile. " **Very soon. Another few minutes. Just stay close, okay? This part of Homeworld, pearls get... stolen, easily.** " she glanced nervously at a passing Tourmaline. " **It only takes a brief moment, just a quick glance away, and then the next thing I'll know, I'm some glorified sex-toy for a bunch of soldiers in some far-flung part of the Empire. So stay close, never take your eye off me, and if I say run, don't ask why. Got it?** "  
Amethyst gulped and nodded. " **Yeah, I got it, Pearl...** "

After a short while, the two walked through a narrow alleyway into a large open area. Ahead was a large built pipes and steam vents scattered across the roof. A large wall blocked most of Amethyst's view, and a metal gate was set into the wall.  
Pearl sighed and looked up at it with a smile. " **We're here.** "  
" **'Kay. Where's here though?** " Amethyst glanced behind them down the alleyway, keeping Pearl in her line of sight at the same time.  
Pearl nodded at the building. " **Amethyst, this is the Factory. It's... It's where pearls are made. Where I was made.** " she blushed.  
Amethyst stared at her. " **Whoa, waitwaitwait... whaaattt?!** " she looked back and forwards between Pearl and the Factory. " **You... were** ** _made_** **in there?** "  
Pearl nodded, her eyes roaming over what little of the building could be seen beyond the wall.  
" **This is like... a pearl... Kindergarten?** "  
Pearl glanced down at her. " **Uh... I suppose that would be as good a description as any. Yes.** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **I gotta check this out!** "  
" **Amethyst, no!** " Pearl called out as Amethyst ran forward. " **There's a-** "  
Amethyst suddenly slammed to a halt and fell back moaning and crackling with electricity. " **Holy shi-** "  
Pearl sighed as Amethyst's form gave out, and she calmly walked over and collected the purple gem. " **-force-shield that blocks anyone who isn't a pearl, you bloody daft quartz...** " she muttered. Reaching up, she stored the gem away and calmly walked over to the door.

 **Steven and Connie's POV:**

" **Haha! I win!** " Connie cheered.  
Steven pretended to be upset, crossing his arms, but quickly grinned. " **Good game, Connie!** "  
Surface Pearl smiled. " **Well, you two seemed to have picked it up now.** " Suddenly, she looked around and stood up, walking swiftly over to the collection of property. Holding out her hands, Amethyst's gem suddenly dropped down, and was easily caught.  
" **Amethyst?!** " Steven called out.  
Surface Pearl sighed and flicked her free hand across the storage wall, settling on a small ornately decorated box. Removing it, she walked back and sat down next to the two. " **Amethyst ran head-first into a force-shield and was dissipated.** " she explained as she opened the box and removed a few items.  
" **Oh.** " Steven nodded.  
Connie looked at the gem in the pearl's hands. " **Will she be okay?** "  
Steven grinned. " **Yeah. Amethyst gets poofed a** ** _lot_** **. She'll be back in a moment.** "  
Surface Pearl shook her head and placed the gem on her left knee as she unscrewed a small jar. " **Actually, no. I'm the only gem that can regenerate in here. In fact, you two can't fuse, Steven can't shapeshift or use any of his powers, and Amethyst can't regenerate. It's like... a safety feature. It prevents my information being... well, corrupted, by that of another gem.** " she shrugged and began applying a thin layer of goo onto Amethyst's gem. " **So, how about you two play a few more rounds, and I'll take this rare opportunity to give Amethyst a proper clean and polishing?** "

 **Pearl's POV:**

Pearl nodded at the orange pearl in the guard-post as she went through the gate. Crossing the small courtyard, she paused to phase her usual clothes back on before continuing to a door with a smaller guard-box in front which contained a pale green pearl with her gem in her sternum.  
" **State your business.** " the pearl said in a bored voice without glancing away from her screen.  
" **Pink Diamond's Pearl. I'm here to personally report on an urgent matter.** "  
The pearl jumped slightly and stared at her. " **Oh my stars...** " Quickly, she typed something into the screen. " **Processing... Understood. You may enter immediately. She's been expecting you.** " she pressed a button inside the compartment and the door slid open.  
Pearl nodded and entered the building, the pearl leaning to stare at her as she passed. Pearl sighed with relief as the door slid closed behind her.

Pausing at a large silvery door, Pearl took a few deep calming breaths. After a moment, she gently tapped on the door.  
" **Enter.** "  
Pearl gulped nervously and pushed the door open, walking through into a large room. Dozens of pearls paused and stared at her as she passed, turning to whisper at each other creating a low background sound similar to that of wind rushing through trees. Pearl kept walking until she reached a low platform surround by columns. On top of the platform, seated serenely on a white alabaster chair, was a large thin Gem with short lightly curled light grey hair. Her appearance was similar to that of the pearls around them, but she was twice as tall, with a bright white glowing round pearl set into the top of her left shoulder. Her simple pale grey dress flowed elegantly across her legs, ending just short of her ankles, revealing simple flat shoes. Every slight movement caused colours to briefly flash and dance across her form.  
Pearl bowed gracefully, touching one hand to her own gem. " **Pearl 7-25042-1, reporting, my Creator.** "


	5. The Factory

**The Pearl Factory, Homeworld** **, 5257 years ago:**

" **Pearl 7-25042-1. I had been hoping to see you.** " the larger pearl leaned forward slightly, colours playing and dancing across her form. " **I assume you're here to report on your Diamond's... behaviour?** "  
Pearl flinched slightly. " **Uh... Not entirely, no... I'm actually here on another, more urgent matter.** " she glanced up slightly. " **But... I could attempt some sort of explanation... if that is what you desire, My Nacre.** "  
Nacre nodded. " **Rise and speak freely, 25042.** "  
Pearl stood up and sighed. " **Well, the short version of it is this: My Diamond, Pink, had decided that she no longer wished Earth to be a colony at all. She wanted to protect the life that lived there. The other Diamonds... did not agree. They insisted that the colony be completed. Pink decided that becoming Rose Quartz and leading a rebellion, albeit against herself, was the only way to make them change their minds. After all, if the Earth was incredible enough to provoke otherwise loyal Gems into open rebellion against their Diamond, then maybe it was worth protecting.** " she shook her head sadly. " **However,... They didn't see it that way. They only sent more troops, more supplies. Pink Diamond felt trapped in her position; she felt like... that other Diamonds cared more about the colony and the resources it would provide than about Pink or her happiness. She started to feel like... maybe she didn't matter to them at all.** "  
Pearl cleared her throat. "T **here is more to this story... but I'll need to explain my reason for being here first. It's a little... bizarre, but I assure you, it's the truth.** "  
Nacre nodded. " **Proceed.** "

" **I'm... actually from the future. More than five thousand years from now, actually. My companions and I fell into a ripple in time, and ended up stranded here. I returned to Homeworld mainly to locate parts and equipment for a device I've quickly designed to locate future ripples, in an attempt to get us back to our own time before entropic cascade failure starts to affect us.** " she briefly displayed the hologram of the device.  
" **Hmm... That is rather far-fetched...** " Nacre mused.  
Pearl gulped. " **I assure you, it is the truth, My Nacre. Uh.. Perhaps some evidence is required...** " she paused for a moment to think, and gave a quick nod. " **The native humans have developed quite spectacularly in the last five thousand years. They've even attempted space travel. Well, primitive attempts anyway... They sent out some animals, but quickly lost interest. A stark realisation of the inherent dangers also played a part in their decision to delay further exploration until their technology had evolved to a higher level.** " She pulled out her mobile phone. " **Uh... this is their more recent communication device. Just about every young human currently has one of these carried on their person, whereas only a decade ago, most humans only had a simpler device in their dwellings.** " she stored it away and created a hologram. " **These are just a few of the things they had developed, entirely without our help.** " she showed a quick montage of human technology, with cars, planes, television and a roller coaster.  
Nacre's eyes widened. " **That is remarkable.** "

Pearl sighed. " **In a couple of hundred years from this point in time... Pink Diamond will be shattered by Rose Quartz. That is... obviously, we'll make it seem like that is the case. Pink Diamond will make the decision to disappear, in the hope that the other Diamonds will give up on creating a colony from the Earth. However, her plan will backfire. Spectacularly so. The remaining three Diamonds will launch a final attack that will severely damage every Gem on the Earth who isn't shattered or regenerating. Rose, Garnet and myself... Garnet's that fusion from Blue Diamond's court? The Ruby and Sapphire?** " she waited for the nod of recognition before continuing.  
" **We only survived because of Rose's shield. This attack will cause... well, we call it Corruption. Those affected no longer remember who they were. They are nothing more than wild, mindless beasts.** " She showed a hologram of a corrupted quartz, and the surrounding pearls all recoiled in horror. " **We'll then spend the next five thousand years fighting them, bubbling them so that they can't hurt themselves or the humans.** "  
Pearl glanced around at the pearls. " **Every pearl needs to be off the planet before that happens. Like... immediately. The moment that word gets out that Pink Diamond has been shattered by Rose Quartz, they need to leave. Because after the Corruption hits, there is no chance for anyone not behind Rose's shield, or deep inside the planet. And we'll be destroying the Galaxy Warp as soon as possible, to prevent any hostile forces returning.** " she shook her head. " **I feel guilty enough about my involvement causing the Corruption in the first place. To have to fight another pearl who doesn't even know what she's doing... I can't do that... Please, order them to leave the moment Pink is 'shattered'...** "

The room fell silent. Pearl took the moment to get a few quick deep calming breaths in.  
Finally, Nacre spoke. " **What materials do you need to return?** "  
Pearl rattled off a list of equipment and electronic devices. " **Um... Those should be enough. I can improvise the device from those.** "  
Nacre nodded. With a quick wave of her hand, several other pearls left the room to search for the materials. " **Is there anything else you require?** "  
Pearl wrung her hands worryingly. " **Well... I would like a temporarily stay of the 'Pearls Only' rule...** "  
" **For what reason?** "  
" **I have three of my companions stored in my gem. One is a human girl, Connie, who is also a student of mine, one is an amethyst, who is quite harmless, I assure you... the third is Pink Diamond's half-human son.** "  
Nacre looked curious. " **Meaning?** "  
Pearl blushed. " **Uh... Well... hmm...** " she sighed. " **Basically, Rose... mated, with a human male about fifteen years ago. She gave up her form so the child could exist. He has her gem, and is slowly getting control of her powers, but he is not her. He is someone completely new and different. He's... he's Steven.** " she shrugged. " **I've been helping to look after him since then.** "  
" **And this amethyst? They are usually...** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes, I know. Believe me... But this one is different. She's one of my best friends, and has always treated me well. She's quite angry that pearls are treated the way we are... I don't think she understands it... But... I trust Amethyst with my life. I** ** _have_** **trusted her with my life before, and she's never let me down, or given me any reason to fear for my safety around her. Besides...** " she rolled her eyes. " **…She slammed headfirst into the force-shield outside because she was excited to see where I was made. She'd never really forgive me if she was the only one left out of being here. Especially if it was only because she's a quartz. Please, I request permission to bring them out.** "

Nacre thought for a moment. " **I'll admit... I am curious about this hybrid of Pink Diamond... And I've never met an actual human before. I'm interested in seeing what the fuss is about. Very well then. I'll allow this. However, you are responsible for keeping the amethyst under control.** "  
" **That's easier said than done in my experience...** " Pearl muttered as she bowed deeply. " **Thank you, My Creator.** " she straightened up. " **Amethyst is currently regenerating, so I'll let them out in a side room, so there's no distractions as I explain to Amethyst about being on her best behaviour after she reforms.** "  
Nacre nodded. " **That is a suitable solution.** " she pointed towards a door on her right. " **That room is currently empty.** "  
" **I shall return shortly.** " Pearl nodded before she turned and walked over to the door.

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 **Steven & Connie's POV:**

" **Aww yeah, I win!** " Steven called happily as his side of the board lit up.  
Connie reached out to shake his hand. " **Awesome! I think we're tied now?** "  
Surface Pearl nodded. " **Yes. But your tie-breaker will have to wait.** " Handing Amethyst's gem over to Steven, she stood up and collected the game board and the polishing kit, walking over to store them again.  
Steven and Connie glanced at each other. " **Why? What's going on?** "  
Surface Pearl walked back. " **Okay, I have to explain a few things to you. Amethyst... will have to wait, hopefully she'll listen...** " she glanced at the purple gem in Steven's hand. " **You see... We're currently inside the Factory. It's... it's where I was made, oh so very long ago...** "  
" **Whoa!** " Steven gasped. " **Wait... you were made in a factory? Not a Kindergarten?** "  
Surface Pearl blushed. " **Pearls aren't made the same way as other gems, Steven.** " she tapped Amethyst briefly. " **They're usually made in the crust of a planet, or rarely even deeper. They spend hundreds of years slowly forming through heat and pressure before finally creating a form and bursting out of the ground, ready to do... whatever it was they were made for. Pearls... are made in water. We're made quickly and cheaply. I was only one of around three dozen pearls who formed in the same week. One of hundreds who were made that year. The Factory is essentially a Kindergarten, strictly for pearls. But in function only; they're not actually the same thing.** "

" **So... How are pearls made, anyway?** " Connie asked, curious.  
Surface Pearl stammered. " **Uh... Th- that's... That's a closely guarded secret, that only pearls are allowed to know. I'm only allowed to say that it involves water, and many, many layers.** " she sighed briefly. " **Anyway, the Factory has a very strict Pearls Only rule. It's protected by a force-shield that blocks any other gem from entry. Even the Diamonds aren't allowed in here.** " she added smugly.  
" **Except me!** " Steven grinned.  
Surface Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Normally, no. Not even you.** "  
" **Oh.** " his face fell.  
Surface Pearl patted his hair affectionately. " **However, these are not normal circumstances. I've been granted permission to bring you out, just for a little while. You won't be allowed to explore very much though, and you are mostly being allowed out because you are going to meet someone... very special to me.** " She glanced at Amethyst's gem. " **I'll need to bring Amethyst out and have a quick chat with her beforehand though... But we need to go over some ground rules first.** "

" **Which are?** " Connie prompted.  
" **Best behaviour.** " she counted off on her fingers. " **Be polite, be respectful, speak only when spoken to. And try not to comment about the fact that everyone has a large nose... it's rude. I'm going to have to threaten Amethyst about that last part...** " she added with a mutter.  
Steven scratched his head. " **But, who are we gonna meet? And why are they important to you?** "  
Surface Pearl sighed. " **You're going to... I can't believe I'm going say this... You're going to meet** ** _my_** **maker.** "

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Pearl held out her arms, and in a flash of white light, Connie appeared. Pearl quickly caught the girl and set her feet-first onto the floor, stepping aside to summon Steven. As he giggled and grinned at Connie, the gem in his right hand started to glow, and he quickly held his hands out. Connie watched wide-eyed as Amethyst reformed, setting down on the ground with a sigh.  
" **Ugh, finally! What took so danged long?!** " Amethyst grumbled.  
Pearl grabbed the straps of the smaller gems top and lifted her up. " **Listen to me Amethyst, because I am not going to repeat myself.** " she growled, causing the small group to stare. " **We are inside the Factory, yes, and I know that you are eager to explore... but that is no excuse to be... to be a** ** _quartz_** **. I want you to be on your** ** _best_** **behaviour. No teasing me or anyone who looks like me; no shapeshifting into me, or anyone else; no comments about anyone's nose or appearance... I want absolutely** ** _none_** **of your usual crap. We are going to meet with the gem who** ** _made_** **me, Amethyst. This is** ** _very_** **_important_** **to me. I swear on my gem, Amethyst... if you embarrass me, if you insult my creator, accidentally or otherwise, you'll be spending the next fifty-two hundred years bubbled and stored in my gem under 'p' for Purple Idiot! Do we have an understanding, soldier?** "  
Amethyst looked into Pearl's ice blue eyes, cold and unforgiving, and saw a glimpse of the battle-hardened warrior Pearl usually hid so well. The younger gem gulped audibly. " **Yes ma'am...** " she squeaked slightly.  
Pearl stepped back, releasing Amethyst's straps. " **Good. Now, follow me.** " She walked towards the nearby door as Amethyst stared wide-eyed at the kids.  
" **Holy crap...** " she mouthed at them.  
The kids nodded as they followed Pearl silently.

Pearl bowed. " **My Nacre, may I present Steven, Connie and Amethyst.** "  
Nacre looked down at them curiously. " **So, this is the offspring of Pink Diamond?** "  
Pearl nodded and tapped Steven's shoulder, gently urging him forward.  
" **Uh... Hello...** " Steven waved nervously. Glancing down, he quickly raised his shirt so his gem was visible.  
" **How very strange. Clearly, you are made of flesh, and yet you have a gem...** " Nacre mused.  
Steven shrugged. " **Yeah. I'm maybe half-light...** " he glanced aside at Pearl and closed his eyes. Glowing, he grew by about a foot. " **I can shapeshift, but not for very long, or I'll turn back into a baby...** " he returned to his usual size. " **I... don't know what will happen if I get poofed though...** "  
Pearl frowned. " **And hopefully we'll never find out.** "  
Nacre nodded. " **What about Rose's shield?** "  
Steven looked at Pearl, who nodded. Quietly, he summoned a small shield with a shimmer of pink light. " **Yeah, I've got that.** " he held it out, and Nacre took it, turning it over in her hands. " **I can also make the big bubble, and heal with my spit, and I cried a friend back to life once. I also accidentally made some watermelon Stevens that went all crazy... Mum had some weird powers...** " he grinned nervously.  
Nacre handed the shield back to him, and Steven let it vanish with a sparkle of light.

" **I once had the pleasure of meeting Pink Diamond.** " Nacre mused.  
" **Really?** " Steven gasped.  
Nacre nodded. " **Yes. She gave me the impression that she was very kind, and would treat a pearl well. Although, she also was quite... immature, and occasionally bizarre...** "  
Pearl sniggered. " **Oh, you don't know the half of it. I could tell you stories... but I honestly doubt you'd believe me. She was** ** _weird_** **.** " she glanced at Steven. " **Seriously, he's only fourteen years old, and he's already far more mature than she** ** _ever_** **was.** "  
Steven's eyes sparkled. " **Really?** "  
Pearl nodded. " ** _Oh yes_** **. Thousands of years old, and she'd still be wrestling with gorillas, eating daffodils or sticking her fingers into light sockets, just to see what happened. Absolutely daft.** " she giggled. " **Half my job as her pearl was to stop her from being too reckless. A difficult job, believe me.** " she rolled her eyes.  
Amethyst chuckled. " **Yeah, Rose was** ** _craaazzzy_** **...** "  
" **I can confirm.** " Pearl snorted as Steven and Connie laughed.

Nacre watched them curiously.  
Pearl realised she was being watched and blushed furiously. " **Yes, My Nacre?** "  
Nacre shook her head. " **Just amused. Now, I've heard many reports about the... humans, of Pink's colony, but I have not had the opportunity to actually meet one.** "  
" **Oh, of course.** " Pearl glanced at Connie and smiled.  
Connie blushed and stepped forward. " **Err... Hello ma'am. I'm Connie.** " she bowed slightly.  
Connie stood nervously as Nacre looked her over. " **Hmm... fascinating. A biological species with the same basic form as a Gem, but made entirely of biological matter. Such a being has only been encountered by Gemkind** **on one small world...** " she mused.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes, I was amazed myself. Of course, there are many differences. They can't regenerate, and serious damage is often fatal. They also grow and change over a remarkably short time, and their biological functions are utterly disgusting... but sadly, necessary to their survival, and therefore completely unavoidable.** " she glanced down at Connie with a proud smile. " **But, they can be incredibly fast learners, and are often just too damned stubborn to die. I've been teaching Connie here how to use a sword, and she has made** ** _astounding_** **progress in such a short time. She's mastered techniques that, quite frankly, I needed a decade to reach the same level.** " she blushed slightly. " **Humans are a species that were** ** _definitely_** **worth fighting for.** "  
Connie grinned happily. " **Thank you, ma'am!** " she bowed with a small blush.

Nacre glanced at Amethyst. " **Now, you are rather small for a quartz...** "  
" **You're big for a pearl...** " Amethyst grunted, crossing her arms and looking away.  
" **Amethyst!** " Pearl hissed.  
The smaller gem glanced at her and huffed. " **Fine... I apologise.** "  
Nacre tilted her head. " **I've never heard of a quartz with such a deep cut, nor one who would willingly listen to a pearl.** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Yeah, well, she threatened me.** "  
Nacre nodded. " **Or one that would admit to being threatened by a pearl. But this one is notoriously rather terrifying...** "  
Pearl blushed deeply. " **Well, I try...** " she smiled as the kids giggled.  
" **Oh yeah, Pearly's dangerous all right. Dust bunnies world-wide fear her wrath.** " Amethyst smirked.  
Pearl glanced at her. " **Keep that up, Amethyst, and I'm cleaning your room the second we get home.** "  
Amethyst stepped away. " **Hey, whoa... no need to get nasty... put the broom down, Pearl.** "  
" **Fear the broom of doom.** " Steven snickered.

Connie looked around to see a small group of pearls enter the room.  
One with a blue diamond on her chest just under her gem stepped forward with a small bow. " **My Nacre, the materials that 25042 requested.** "  
The group pulled an assortment of electronic items from their gems and held them out.  
Pearl grinned. " **Spectacular. I'll just grab the more fragile things...** " Carefully, she gathered a few things into her arms. " **Right. Everyone, grab some stuff, okay?** "  
Steven, Connie and Amethyst each grabbed a few things.  
" **Thank you, everyone.** " Pearl nodded at the other pearls. Turning, she lowered her head at Nacre. " **If it pleases you, My Nacre, I would like to get started building as soon as possible.** "  
Nacre waved the other pearls away. " **Of course. The same room is available to you.** "  
" **Come on, Shorty Squad.** " Pearl turned and walked across the room, glancing back only to confirm that they were following.

As the door slid shut behind them, they saw that Pearl had already spread a small tarp out and was settling down in a corner. " **Okay, just put those down here, and I can get to work.** "  
As they gently dropped the equipment down onto the tarp, Pearl pulled a small roll of fabric from her gem. Unrolling it, she revealed a set of tools, many of them with strange attachments.  
" **Hey... I've never seen a screwdriver like that before...** " Connie pointed it out.  
" **Doncha mean leverage optimiser?** " Amethyst smirked as Steven grinned.  
Pearl smiled as she looked at it. " **Ah yes. That's specially designed for very fine work, like the kind found only in Gem electronic devices. Also, leverage optimiser is the actual name of the tool. Although, I think I prefer the human names. Far simpler, if occasionally bizarre.** " she shrugged. " **To be honest... most Gem tools are just variations of human ones. Once you figure out the difference between a sonic connector and a connection disruptor-** " she pointed out the similar looking tools as she went " **-which are used to basically make and break welds, just about anybody can use these things. Although, the sonic connector is very dangerous in the wrong hands. I've heard of Gems accidentally welding one of their hands to the side of a ship they were trying to repair.** " she rolled her eyes with a chuckle. " **Now, I have to start working on this, so...** " she picked up a device and started to dismantle it.

As Pearl worked quietly behind them, occasionally muttering to herself, the group moved back to the door and sat there, watching the other pearls move around. In soft whispers they commented about the various small differences between them, and started playing a game counting how many belonged to each particular diamond.  
Seeing one go by with a pink diamond on her chest, Steven gasped. " **Hey... do you think she knew mum too?** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **I dunno... Pearl's the only gem I've seen with a pink diamond anywhere...** "  
Steven glanced back. " **Hey, Pearl?** "  
" **Hmmm... yes, Steven?** " she asked, head down in concentration.  
" **Do you... know any of the pearls here? Like, were you friends with any of them?** "  
Pearl glanced up. " **Uhh... That's... complicated.** "  
" **Complicated how?** " Connie prompted.  
Steven moved and sat next to Pearl. " **Yeah, I want to know too.** "

Pearl looked around as Connie and Amethyst moved closer as well. She sighed. " **I mean, technically speaking, we're only allowed to be loyal to our owners and our Diamonds. Any kind of relationship with anyone else is strictly forbidden, so pearls don't usually make friends...** " she shrugged as she grabbed another device to pull apart. " **We only really have a chance to bond with those made around the same time as ourselves, and any other pearls we end up working closely with. And by that, I mean when our owners work closely, and drag us along. And it's best not to get too attached to the others anyway.** "  
The group looked at each other briefly. " **How come?** " Amethyst moved a more distant item closer, so Pearl could reach it later.  
Pearl sighed. " **There's a rather high... let's call it a turnover rate... for pearls. Basically, we get shattered all the time. For the stupidest reasons. Like our owners decided to blame us for something going wrong, or for one of their own terrible decisions, or they had a bad day and decided to kick the dog, or because they simply wanted a new pearl.** "  
" **That's horrible!** " Steven cried, giving her a hug.  
Pearl patted his hair affectionately. " **Eh, you get used to it. It's not like we have a much of a choice anyway...** " Sadness flashed across her face. " **Of the thirty-seven pearls made the same week as myself... well... only two of us were still alive by the beginning of the rebellion. And we're both survivors, who are still kicking today. Well, in our time anyway.** "

" **Only two?!** " Amethyst squeaked, horrified.  
" **That's terrifying...** " Connie whispered, eyes wide in shock.  
Pearl summoned a box of tissues and held it out. Steven grabbed a handful immediately.  
Connie looked thoughtful. " **Hey... if you haven't seen another pearl since the war... then how do you know she's still alive?** "  
Pearl smiled faintly. " **Because Steven's seen her, and told me about it.** "  
Steven looked confused. " **Wait... huh?** "  
Pearl laughed. " **Well, to be honest, you didn't realise that I knew her. We bonded quickly after we were made, and got separated when we were assigned owners. We ended up meeting up again not long after. I knew her as Pearl 7-25047-1, or 47... You'd know her as Blue Diamond's pearl.** "  
Steven gasped. " **Whoa!** "  
" **We both ended up in service to a Diamond, and Blue was really the only one that your mother bothered to listen to half the time... So, 47 and I got to hang out a lot whilst Pink was being annoyingly distracting.** " she snickered.  
Steven grinned happily. " **That's great! But... wait. Does that mean you hung out with Yellow Diamonds pearl too? You said you didn't know her...** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **Actually, you asked who she was. I merely stated that not all pearls know each other, which is true. Like I said, we usually only spend time with other pearls when our owners work together closely. To outright state that I knew a pearl who belonged to a Diamond would be the same as admitting that** ** _I_** **belonged to a Diamond. Pink's order... prevented me from actively doing so.** " she sighed sadly. " **I didn't technically lie. I just... deflected the question. Sorry, but I had no choice in the matter.** "

Steven look at her curiously. " **So... you** ** _do_** **know Yellow Diamond's pearl?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Eh, not too well. We were made at different times, and we've never really gotten along. She was far too smug, and would not** ** _shut up_** **about how great Yellow was. The boot-licking git...** " she muttered.  
Amethyst snickered. " **A real brown-noser, huh?** "  
Pearl laughed. " ** _Please_** **. She was so far up her Diamond's rump, it was a miracle Yellow could even sit.** "  
Amethyst burst out laughing as Connie snorted.  
" **And I'm surprised Blue can sit either, with Holly Blue crawling up there...** " Pearl added with a grin.  
Steven blushed. " **Pearl! That's gross!** "  
" **Freakin' hilarious though!** " Amethyst chuckled.  
Pearl sighed happily and glanced around at them. " **Anyway, I'm still trying to work on this, so how about I bring out some food and water, and you go back to pearl-watching by the door?** "

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 ** _An hour later..._**

" **Err... uh-oh.** " Steven winced slightly. " **Uh, Pearl?** "  
Pearl swapped a tool out for another. " **Yes, Steven?** "  
Steven blushed. " **I need to go.** "  
Pearl looked up. " **Go? ...oh. Go.** "  
" **Um...** " Connie raised a hand with a blush. " **Yeah, me too.** "  
Pearl looked around nervously. " **Uhh... You do realise that there isn't a single bathroom on this entire planet... Can you both possibly hold it for another... hour, maybe?** "  
Steven jigged his leg a little. " **Maybe...** "  
" **So long as it's only an hour? I guess.** " Connie's voice was filled with uncertainty.  
Pearl looked down at the collection of disassembled electronics and started gathering them up. " **I think I have everything I need here. I can finish this back on Earth. I'll just quickly say my farewells.** " she dashed out of the room. Looking out, they saw her quickly talking to Nacre. After a quick bow, she returned. " **Okay, you'll have to promise not to let go inside my gem, or I swear I'll murder you and any witnesses.** " she glared darkly at them.  
" **Okay.** "  
" **I promise.** "  
" **Geez, chill, you murder noodle.** "  
Pearl growled. " **Can it, Amethyst. I'll put you in too, just for a moment. Once we're outside the Factory, I'll let you back out. You'll need to be a sapphire again immediately, so we can get to the Galaxy Warp as quickly as possible, okay?** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **Got it.** "

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As the glow of the warp faded, Pearl pointed towards the bushes. " **Amethyst, I'm not sure what they actually need to do, so quickly dig a couple of small holes behind some bushes.** "  
Amethyst nodded and shapeshifted her hands into large shovels. " **Got it.** "  
Pearl summoned a small bag of toilet paper and removed two rolls as Amethyst moved to a different bush.  
" **Okay, done!** " Amethyst ran back over. Suddenly, she grabbed a roll, pulled off two strips and throw a piece over each bush. " **Markers.** " she explained as she ran back.  
" **Good thinking. You catch Steven.** " Pearl reached up and summoned the boy, Amethyst catching him with ease as Pearl grabbed Connie. " **Okay, here's some paper. There are holes behind the bushes with paper. Go.** "  
The kids grabbed a roll each and bolted into the forest.

Pearl sighed and sat on the warp pad. " **That was uncomfortable...** " she groaned.  
Amethyst sat down beside her with a groan. " **Yeah, even I think that'd be gross...** "  
Pearl shimmered slightly and phased her furs back on. " **We can return to the settlement from the other night, so we can at least have shelter whilst I finish building the detector.** "  
" **Works for me.** " Amethyst laid back on the warp pad. " **I just hope we can get home soon.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Me too...** "

A few minutes later, Connie returned, followed shortly after by Steven. Both were clearly more comfortable.  
Pearl summoned a bottle. " **Hand sanitiser.** " she explained, and the two immediately held their hands out. As they eagerly rubbed the disinfectant into their hands, she stored the bottle away before plucking a stray leaf from Steven's hair. " **Okay, let's head back to the settlement for the night.** "

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 ** _The next morning..._**  
" **...and put this there... Okay, now I just have to screw this here, aaannddd... Done!** " Pearl grinned. Holding up the device, she inspected it with a practised eye. " **Yes, this should work. I can always tweak the settings if necessary.** "  
Steven and Connie clapped. " **Wooo, go Pearl!** "  
She blushed happily. " **Yes, well. We'll only have a short time to actually warp to the location and enter the ripple, so we should go to the warp pad now, to save time if we get a reading. If we haven't gotten anything by sunset, we can come back here for another night.** "  
" **Hey wait...** " Amethyst scratched her head. " **What if the ripple isn't near a warp pad?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **We'll have no choice but to ignore those ones. Even if they can actually take us directly home, it's no use to us if we can't reach it in time. Luckily, I have the map of the warp system stored in my memories, so I can quickly determine if the ripple is usable or not.** "  
Suddenly, the device beeped, and a hologram rose out of the front, creating a small glowing green orb.  
Pearl gasped. " **Ooh, there's one now!** "  
They watched as the orb took on the appearance of the Earth, and a small dot started flashing in one spot.  
Pearl sighed. " **This is exactly what I meant. There's no warp pad near that.** "  
The dot faded and the hologram disappeared.  
" **Yeah, it's gone.** " Pearl shook her head. " **Well, the good news is, it works. Not bad for something built from quite possibly stolen parts. Come on, let's go wait at the warp pad.** "

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Steven yawned. " **I don't think that I have ever been more bored.** "  
" **Hmmm...** " Connie grunted, leaning against the tree with her eyes closed. " **You haven't heard my math teacher droning on. That man could make a fortune, recording and selling his voice as a cure for insomnia...** "  
They heard a beep and sat up.  
Pearl grabbed the detector and watched as the hologram showed the location. " **Hmm, just south of the Tunguska Sea... Quick, warp pad, now.** "  
The group ran onto the warp pad and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

As the glow faded away, Pearl quickly started looking around. Her eyes darting about, she suddenly pointed. " **There.** "  
Moving towards her, they groaned with disappointment as the sparkling ripple suddenly faded and blinked out of existence.  
" **Oh, come on!** " Amethyst yelled, punching a nearby boulder, cracking it in half.  
Pearl sighed. " **Hopefully the next one stays around a little longer... It's too cold for you here. Let's head back to the forest...** "

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As the sun started to set, Steven snored gently with Connie's head resting on his shoulder. Both had dozed off from boredom.  
Pearl jumped up as the detector beeped again. Studying the hologram, she pointed at the children. " **We need to move.** "  
Amethyst quickly scooped Connie up as Pearl lifted Steven. They sped to the warp pad and activated it.  
Reaching the other end, they saw the ripple just ahead of them. With a quick dash, they both ran and leapt into it, disappearing with a flash.


	6. Missed Opportunites

**Beach City, modern era:**

" **And that's everything we know.** " Garnet finished.  
" **That is** ** _unacceptable_** **! Where. Is. PINK?!** " Yellow demanded, her hands crackling with energy. Priyanka, Doug and Greg stepped back nervously as Garnet and Bismuth both repositioned to protect them.  
Beside them, the two Pearls glanced at each other and nodded. " **My Diamond.** " Yellow Pearl stepped forward with a bow. " **We can answer that.** "  
Blue Pearl came to stand beside her. " **Five thousand, two hundred and fifty-seven years ago, the rebel Pearl appeared at the Pearl Factory on Homeworld with two young humans and a small amethyst. She claimed that one of the humans was Pink Diamond's offspring.** "  
Blue Diamond gasped, placing a hand on Yellow's arm to calm her and the Diamonds looked at each other. " **Continue.** "  
Yellow Pearl nodded. " **She stated that a rip in the timestream had sent them back to that point, and requested parts to build a device to detect other such anomalies. These were provided, and they returned to Earth shortly after.** " she glanced back at the other pearl.  
Blue Pearl nodded and looked up at her Diamond. " **Before they left, she requested a message to be delivered to me, to be passed on at the correct time. I believe that** ** _this_** **is that time.** "  
Greg looked over at her. " **Please, what's the message?** "  
" **They are safe, and they will return as soon as possible. But the random nature of the anomalies creates uncertainties of when that will be.** " Blue Pearl shrugged slightly. " **She could only promise that they'll jump into as many of them as it takes to return.** "

The energy around Yellow' hands subsided. " **So, Pink's life in in the hands of her pearl...** " she muttered.  
Garnet nodded. " **I assure you, they will be safe with Pearl. By now, she's made it her mission to protect them and get them all home safely.** "  
Bismuth grinned. " **Yeah, and our Pearly** ** _never_** **fails a mission!** "  
" **Even when she got captured, she escaped, completed the mission, and** ** _then_** **returned to base. Whenever Pearl sets her mind on something, whether it's a mission or learning a new skill, she doesn't quit until she gets results."** Garnet crossed her arms.  
Bismuth could only chuckle. " **She's the ultimate unstoppable force! That little terror will get them home, without fail!** "  
" **Rose... or well, Pink, I guess...** " Greg paused, before shaking his head. " **She always said that Pearl was stubborn and protective, and that no matter what, she'll protect Steven with everything she had. I believe that Pearl will bring them all home eventually."**  
 **"And Amethyst is powerful for her size. Between them, there's very little that they can't do.** " Garnet shrugs. " **Well, assuming they can agree on a plan long enough...** "

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 **PAST:**

 ** _The following morning..._**

Connie stretched and yawned. Sitting up, she looked around, confused. " **Errr... Where are we?** "  
Pearl looked over. " **Good morning, Connie. We're in England. We made through to a ripple last night, although you two had fallen asleep, so we had to carry the pair of you through it. However, Amethyst and I are still attempting to figure out what time period we are actually in. But she's found some fruit, so you and Steven can have breakfast. Whenever he wakes up, of course.** "  
Connie glanced over and saw Steven still stretched out asleep, snoring softly. Giggling, she reached out and held his nose.  
With a snort, Steven sat up. " **Zah? Pehlemmsle..**." he grumbled, rubbing his nose as his head titled forward.  
Amethyst snuck up with a piece of in her grass in her hand and a grin. " **Steven...** " she called, tickling the back of his neck with the grass. " **There's a spider that wants to lay eggs in ya brain...** "  
Steven jumped up with a yell, slapping at his neck. " **Argh!** " Finally opening his eyes, he looked to see Amethyst doubled over laughing with the grass in her hand, Connie giggling and Pearl covering a grin. " **Amethyst! That wasn't nice!** " he groaned.  
" **Sorry dude. It was funny though.** " she chortled, eating the grass and giving him a hug. " **Besides, if you don't wake up, you don't get to eat the stuff I found for ya...** "  
Steven crossed his arms and gave a huff. " **Fine. It was still mean though...** "

As Steven and Connie ate, Pearl and Amethyst moved to the nearby ledge.  
Connie grabbed an apple and moved to stand beside them. " **So... figure out when we are yet?** "  
Pearl glanced over. " **Definitely the medieval period. Probably Tudor era England...** " she mused.  
" **Yeah, that'd be my guess.** " Amethyst added.  
Steven joined them with two apples. " **How can you be sure?** " he asked before taking a large chomp from one.  
Both gems pointed down into the valley before them.  
" **See that half demolished building over there?** " Pearl waited for their nods. " **That was a monastery. Pulling apart monasteries was like a hobby to Henry...** "  
Amethyst snorted. " **Yeah, that and divorces...** "  
" **Don't forget the beheadings and other executions.** " Pearl added.  
Amethyst nodded. " **Oh yeah, can't forget those. Shame about doin' 'em at the same time as the divorces though...** "  
Pearl nodded sadly. " **Yes. Those** **are two hobbies that should never be combined...** "

Suddenly, the detector tucked into Pearl's sash beeped, and she quickly held it out. Checking the location, she sighed. " **No, the nearest warp pad is a week away from there. Maybe the next one.** "  
The kids nodded and returned to their fruit platter as the hologram faded.  
" **Hey, Amethyst? Where'd you get these from anyway?** "  
Amethyst shrugged and ate a dropped apple core in one gulp. " **There's an orchard down in the valley over there. I raided it last night.** "  
Steven stopped chewing and looked at the remaining fruit. " **You mean, you stole it?** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Fruit's free, little man. Besides, there was about a hundred trees loaded with 'em. I only took like, a dozen. And only one from each tree at that. They won't even notice the difference.** " she waved a hand dismissively.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. It's likely they were just going to be used to make cider. Feeding you two is a far more important priority for us.** "  
Connie shrugged. " **Eh. Stolen apples** ** _are_** **tasty apples.** " she grinned as she took another bite.  
Steven looked unsure. " **...I guess...** "  
" **Don't worry about it, dude.** " Amethyst yawned as she settled down for a nap.  
Pearl sat down and leaned against a tree. " **What's a little fruit theft compared to** ** _my_** **extensive list of crimes against Homeworld?** " she grinned.  
" **Bad pearls, bad pearls, whatcha** **gonna do...** " Amethyst sang quietly with a smile.  
Pearl laughed. " **Ha! No prison could hold me.** " she added smugly as they laughed.  
Steven grinned. " **I keep forgetting that Pearl's a criminal.** "

After an hour, the device beeped again. Pearl quickly inspected it. " **Warp pad.** " she ordered, and the group scrambled.  
Arriving, they waited as Pearl's eyes darted around, searching.  
" **There. Quickly.** " she moved ahead, picking Steven up as she went. Amethyst hoisted Connie about her head and ran to keep up.  
However, as they jumped, the ripple disappeared, and they landed with a disappointed groan.  
" **So close.** " Steven sighed as Pearl set him down with a mutter.  
Turning, she started walking back. " **From now on, we sit on the warp pad. We only leave it for important things, or biological necessities. And we get ready to warp to the new location the moment it beeps.** "  
Amethyst set Connie down and followed Pearl. " **Yeah... I wish there was a way of predicting them in advance... or seeing which one will take us home...** "  
Pearl sat down on the edge of the warp and sighed. " **Technically, there is a way to do that...** "  
They stared at her. " **And, you didn't do that, because...?** " Amethyst prompted.  
" **Because...** " Pearl sighed. " **...It would involve using a sapphire as a power source for the device. Much like Lapis and the mirror? The detector would be able to predict the ripples in advance, maybe even be capable of determining when it'd lead to, but that's a whole new level of evil I wasn't willing to sink to... Not again...** " she added with a guilty mutter.  
" **Oh.** " Amethyst sat down beside her. " **Yeah, good point. Don't do that.** "  
Pearl examined the detector. " **Unfortunately, barring acts of unforgivable evil, this is about as good as it can get. Besides, even if I was inclined to stoop to that level, which I am not, ...we're still in the middle ages. The only sapphire on the planet who isn't corrupted is** ** _our_** **Sapphire. Which is** ** _not_** **an option.** "

" **I wonder where we are?** " Connie looked around.  
Pearl glanced over at her. " **South Africa. Well, maybe not the country, per say... Just... Southern Africa.** " she waved a hand. " **The general area.** "  
Connie nodded. " **Oh. Cool.** "  
" **I wonder if there's any lions around?** " Steven looked around.  
Pearl shook her head. " **Steven, you already have a lion at home. You are not bringing back another stray. Not even if it follows us home.** "  
Steven huffed. " **Awww! No fair...** " he briefly groaned, but burst out with giggles.  
" **Too late.** " Amethyst smirked as she shapeshifted into a lion. " **Raww.** " she calmly deadpanned.  
Their laughter was interrupted by another beep. Standing, Steven hopped onto Amethyst's back and pulled Connie up while they waited in the middle of the pad as Pearl checked the location. Wordlessly, she warped them, and with a quick look around, she pointed the ripple out. " **There.** "  
The group leapt into it with a cheer.

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As they landed in the red dust, Amethyst and Pearl skidded to a stop.  
Almost immediately, Steven and Connie started to sweat. " **Ugh, it's soo hot!** "  
Amethyst groaned. " **Man, it's too hot for all this fur...** " she muttered as she returned to normal, lying on the ground with the kids on her back. Quickly, they hopped off.  
Steven wiped the sweat from his brow with his shirt and looked around. " **Where are we now?** "  
" **And when?** " Connie added.  
Pearl pointed towards the distance. As they watched, and groups of animals bounded away. " **Australia. Central Australia, to be a tad more precise.** " she nodded.  
" **Oh hey, a herd of kangaroos!** " Steven exclaimed, starry-eyed.  
Connie watched them leap. " **I think it's called a mob, Steven.** "  
" **Oh no...** " Amethyst turned over and sat up. " **It's da mob. It's cement shoes for all of us.** "  
Pearl rolled her eyes with a bemused smile. " **Anyway, as for when... No idea. Central Australia is sparsely** **populated, even in our era...** " she looked thoughtful for a moment and summoned her cell phone. " **Okay, kids, check your phones. If we have a signal, we're close to home.** "  
Nodding, they pulled them out of their pockets and quickly checked them.  
" **No signal here...** " Connie sighed.  
Steven tapped his a few times. " **My batteries dead.** "  
Connie gasped. " **Yeah, mine's low... I'm going to turn it off for now.** "  
Pearl stored her phone away. " **I don't think there's anything up there. But we need to be sure. Hmm... I believe there was a sizable settlement only a few kilometres from this warp pad in our time. But we can't leave the warp...** " Looking around, she finally glanced up. " **Amethyst, throw me as high as you can**."

Amethyst stood up and cracked her knuckles, shapeshifting into the Purple Puma. " **You've got it, P.** "  
Pearl stepped closer and turned to the kids. " **Connie, hold onto this for a bit, okay?** " Pearl handed her the detector. " **You all need to wait on the warp pad, just in case.** "  
Steven and Connie nodded, and moved back towards the pad as Amethyst picked Pearl up around the waist. " **Ready, Pearl?** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Do it.** " she said as she pulled her arms in tight against her body.  
" **Raugh!** " With a grunt, Amethyst pulled her arm back and hurled Pearl into the air as hard as she could.  
Steven and Connie watched, amazed as Pearl shot through the air like an arrow, her feet pointed together and her nose in front. " **Whoa!** "  
" **Look at her go!** " Connie grinned.  
Amethyst laughed as she came over. " **And the winner of the Gold Medal in the Pearl javelin toss, for America... Amethyst.** " she held her hands up triumphantly with a grin. " **And the crowd goes wild!** "  
Steven and Connie clapped. " **Woo! Yay!** "

Above them, Pearl reach her maximum altitude and spread her arms and legs out. In the brief moment before gravity took hold, she looked around at the distant horizon. She managed a slow circle in air before she started to fall, and saw with a frown that there was no sign of humanity.

Steven, Connie and Amethyst watched as Pearl started to come down.  
" **Uh... How is she going to land?** " Connie asked nervously.  
Steven stared at her. " **Oh no...** " he looked up at Pearl in concern.  
Amethyst clapped a hand on both their shoulders. " **Relax guys. I've seen Garnet** ** _and_** **Rose throw Pearl like this. Usually above a corrupted gem, so she can drop down on it with a spear to da face.** " she grinned. " **She's** ** _Pearl_** **. She always lands perfectly, duh. And smugly...** " she added under her breath.

Pearl dropped down like a stone. Concentrating, she gathered the red dust that lay thick upon the ground below, raising it into a large red ramp. With a smile, she landed on it, angling her feet as she started to slide down it like a skate ramp. With the bottom of the ramp and the ground coming closer, she shifted some more dust out in front of her, finally sliding to a stop with a graceful pirouette a few metres from the warp pad.

Amethyst rolled her eyes. " **Show off!** " she called out.  
Steven ran to Pearl, wrapping his arms around her. " **That was amazing!** " he cried, his eyes gleaming with stars.  
Pearl blushed as she picked him up and walked him back to the warp pad. " **Well, I try. And that really was the only way for me to land safely.** "  
" **It was still really cool!** " Connie grinned.  
Amethyst opened her mouth to make a comment, but a beep made her pause.  
Taking the detector back, Pearl examined it. " **Good timing. Uh... I think we can make this one.** "

Warping, they found themselves in another forest, a light layer of snow on the ground.  
Connie saw the ripple first this time. " **There!** " she pointed at the ripple, some fifty metres away. But before they could take more than a few steps, it faded from sight.  
Pearl sighed and pulled a folded blanket from her gem. " **Okay, let's get you wrapped up... At least it isn't too cold right now. But if we're still here by nightfall, we'll have to relocate.** "

 ** _A couple of hours later..._**

Their heads darted at the sound of the beep. Pearl quickly checked it and warped them, Amethyst scrunching the blanket up mid-warp.  
The moment they arrived, they could see the ripple, gleaming and shimmering only five metres from the warp, and close to the ground. Connie and Steven immediately ran for it, Amethyst and Pearl close behind to make sure no-one was left behind.


	7. Future Tense

As they came to a stop, panting slightly from their sprint, they were surprised to find themselves in a city.  
" **Umm... Where are we?** " Steven asked.  
Pearl looked around nervously. " **California...** "  
Amethyst looked up at Pearl and touched her arm lightly. " **Hey, what's wrong?** " she asked lowly.  
Pearl glanced down at her. " **Nothing. I'm just worried we've been dumped here in time for the 1906 earthquake...** " She took the blanket back, shaking it out and refolding it as she spoke.  
" **That'd be pretty bad...** " Amethyst agreed, now looking nervous as well. Pearl stored the neatly folded blanket away.  
In the distance, they heard sirens, and as they looked around a bit more, they noticed two things. Firstly, they were in a very graffitied alleyway, with extremely smelly dumpsters a short distance away. Secondly...  
" **Guys... Where's the warp pad?** " Connie asked.  
Turning, they looked behind them.  
" **And that's worse.** " Amethyst groaned.

Pearl sighed. " **Well, that's... actually good news.** " At their stunned faces, she shrugged. " **Firstly, we're not going to experience that earthquake. Which we did-** " she indicated herself and Amethyst. " **-and trust me, we don't want to do again. This must be Los Angeles. There was a warp pad there once, but it went inactive sometimes during the... 1950's, I believe. Which means we must be fairly close to our own time.** " she smiled.  
Pulling out her phone, Connie turned it on to check for a signal. " **Hmm... still nothing...** "  
Pearl leaned over to see. " **Oh. Maybe your provider doesn't exist yet? I... don't really know how these things work...** " she admitted with a blush. Taking her phone out, she quickly checked it. " **Nothing here either...** " she huffed as she stored it away.  
" **So, what now?** " Steven asked as Connie turned her phone off and put it away.  
" **We need to find out when we are. A disgusting alleyway sometime after the 1950's isn't going to cut it. I suppose we just, look around, see if we can find anything familiar. Brand names, a recent song or advertising jingle... A newspaper with today's date would also be excellent.** " Pearl added dryly.

" **What if we still need to warp?** " Connie asked as the group left the alley, walking beside a street with large potholes and faded signage. Storefronts with broken and boarded up windows were all around them, and it was clear that this part of the city had seen better days.  
Pearl shrugged. " **If we're not close enough to our own time to avoid entropic cascade failure, then we'll have to make our way to the next nearest warp pad. Which is...** " she paused to think. " **... about two states over to the east. Hmm...** " Taking the detector from her sash, she flicked a switch on it before storing it in her gem. " **No point having that on if we have no way of reaching them. I'll turn it back on once we determine what year this is, and if needed, made it to the warp pad. We'll have to get our hands on a car, or possibly take a train to the nearest station to the warp and walk from there. Either that, or I steal a small plane and fly us there.** " she paused with a mischievous grin. " **Which I am completely okay with. It's been a while since I flew, sure, but it's just like summoning a weapon: once you learn, you never forget.** "  
Amethyst sighed. " **Pearl, you are such a klepto.** " she mused with a smirk. " **She steals everything that isn't nailed down.** "  
Pearl chuckled lowly. " ** _Please_** **, Ame... Honestly, I would take the nails too.** " she added with a wink as the group giggled.

" **This place is kinda creepy...** " Steven glanced around nervously.  
Connie nodded, and quietly reached out to hold his hand. " **I've never seen a city this... empty, before.** "  
Pearl glanced around at the buildings surrounding them. " **I have to agree. The last time I was in a human settlement** ** _this_** **quiet, the plague had wiped everyone out.** "  
" **I reckon we've missed the zombie apocalypse...** " Amethyst muttered, jumping slightly as a rat scurried past an old soda can.  
Pearl glanced at the rat with disgust. " **Honestly, Amethyst... There would likely be far more damage, like bullet holes, and fire damage. It's probably just a run-of-the-mill plague. As usual. Steven, Connie, stay close.** "  
They reached an intersection and paused, Pearl looking down each road trying to determine the best route to take. " **Uh, perhaps...** "  
She paused as a voice drifted to them.  
" **Is that... singing?** " Amethyst asked, head turning this way and that trying to find the source.  
Connie and Steven both stuck a hand behind each ear and listened.  
" **I think it's coming from... over there.** " Connie pointed down the road to their right.  
Amethyst and Pearl glanced at each other and shrugged. " **Whacha reckon, P? Check it out?** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **I suppose. We haven't seen anyone else around here. At the very least, we might find someone who can tell us the year.** " she added as she turned towards the voice.

" **That tune is... oddly familiar...** " Pearl muttered.  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah... Where have we heard that before?** "  
They picked up the pace, and as they got closer, they began to make out some words. " **Oh, I know it will be great, and I just can't wait...** "  
As they turned a corner, the voice sounded close, and they started to look around furiously for the singer. " **We might even like being together, and if I don't, it won't be forever.** "  
Steven gasped. " **I know that song!** "  
" **But if it were me, I'd really like to be, a giant woman.** "  
Connie gasped and pointed. " **Up there!** "  
Amethyst and Pearl stared up at the edge of the building in shock.  
" **All you wanna do, is see me turn into, a giant woman.** " Opal sang, opening her eyes and smiling down at them.

The group stared in stunned silence as the tall fusion hopped down from the edge of the three-story building, landing gracefully.  
Steven stared back and forth between Amethyst and Pearl and then back to Opal. " **This. Is... AMAZING!** " he exclaimed.  
" **How... how is this even...** " Pearl stammered.  
Opal chuckled. " **Believe me, it's pretty darn weird for me, too.** "  
Connie quickly turned on her phone and snapped a picture of Opal, making sure it was clear before turning the phone off. " **Okay, I guess we've gone past our time, huh?** "  
Opal nodded. " **Ha, yeah. You always were a smart one, Connie.** "  
Connie blushed.  
" **You've overshot by a couple of hundred years.** " Opal paused. " **Uh... I think...** " she shrugs. " **Honestly, it could be 2018 for all I'd remember... Oh! Hang on.** " Reaching up, she pulled a clear plastic sheet out of Pearl's gem. Looking at it, she smiled. " **No, I was right the first time. Hey, I remembered something. Neato!** " she grinned. With a flick of a wrist, she tossed the sheet to their feet.  
Pearl quickly picked it up and checked it, finding it to be a newspaper. " **Oh my stars, it's 2205!** "

Steven and Connie quickly reached out to check the date themselves. " **Whoa... That's...** " Connie trailed off, stunned.  
" **We're in the future!** " Steven gasped.  
Amethyst looked around. " **And yet, not a hoverboard in sight. Huh. TV lied to me.** "  
Opal laughed. " **No, those were invented ages ago. But, too many kids' broke bones trying to use them. They were banned in most places after a few decades. You actually have, like... eleven of them in your room right now.** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **Dude, sweet. I'mma strap them together and float around like a cloud.** " she rubbed her hands together gleefully.  
Opal shook her head. " **You did. Well...** " she pointed at the gem on her own chest. " **She did. It didn't... go so well. She argued that it was still fun, though. The hover-butler was a much better idea.** "

Pearl stared at her. " **This is probably the strangest part of this trip..**."  
" **Yeah, I can confirm.** " Opal nodded. " **But, think of it this way. I'm proof that you all make it back, safe and sound. Granted, we were officially missing for two months, and Garnet was pretty clingy for a while, the poor thing was scared she'd lost us all...** " Opal sighed. " **...But we got home.** "  
Pearl and Amethyst glanced at each other, eyes wide with concern.  
" **Garnet must be freaking out...** " Amethyst whispered hoarsely.  
Pearl nodded. " **Bismuth too. She's only just gotten used to being around us again.** "  
" **Mum and dad...** " Connie sniffed. " **They're probably panicking...** "  
Steven hugged himself. " **Dad... He's all alone...** "  
Opal knelt down. " **Hey, it's okay. We get home. We have a party to celebrate. Sure, you kids were both grounded from missions for a couple of months, and Garnet threatened to bubble us both if we ever scare her like that again.** " she glanced at her two counterparts. " **But we all were fine with that. We were perfectly happy just... staying at home, reading or watching TV together. And they all eventually calmed down enough to realise that we couldn't help getting ourselves stranded in time.** " she stood up again. " **Now, come on. There's a couple of places we need to go before you can leave.** "

Opal lead the way down the street, turning to the left to go down a wider street. The group following her was relieved to start seeing traffic, and the occasional light in a building.  
" **I was starting to think that this was a ghost town...** " Pearl sighed with relief.  
Opal glanced back. " **Nah, just a part of the city that's gone to the dogs. Bit of a dump, to be honest. But, it's where that ripple dumped us, so we knew we had to wait for ya here.** " She paused and muttered. " **Oy, time travel is such a confusing mess of past, present and future tense.** " she shook her head and continued walking.  
Finally, Opal paused. " **Okay, here we are. Or were. And will be. Ugh.** " Turning, she smiled. " **Well, I'll let you take it from here. Bye.** " With a smooth bow, she started to glow and shift, and suddenly, another Amethyst and Pearl were standing before them.

Future Pearl grinned and waved at herself. " **Hi there.** " she said, adjusting the pink belt around her waist.  
Beside her, Amethyst laughed. " **Yo, kiddies.** "  
" **This is so bizarre...** " Connie shook her head with a smile.  
" **Tell me about it...** " Pearl muttered.  
Steven was starry-eyed. " **Oh. My. Stars. This is the best day of my life. There's two Amethyst! And two Pearls! Ahh!** " he grinned madly with his hands on his cheeks.  
Future Pearl chuckled. " **Stars, I'd almost forgotten what a little goof he was.** "  
" **I know right?** " Future Amethyst laughed. " **Oh, hey! I'd almost forgotten how tiny they used to be.** " Walking over, she grabbed Steven and Connie into a hug. " **Man, enjoy this while ya can, dude.** " She added to herself. " **They won't be this tiny much longer.** "  
With a nod, Future Pearl smiled at them. " **Oh yeah. Pretty soon, these two will shoot up like the world's ending.** " she sighed. " **They grew up much too fast.** "  
Pearl looked herself over. " **Well, at least I have an idea for a future regeneration... Did the belt have to be so... lopsided?** "  
Future Pearl glanced down at herself. " **Admittingly, that did take a bit of getting used to...** " she hiked the belt up a little on one side.  
" **I like it.** " Amethyst nodded. " **It makes ya look more... relaxed, for a change.** "  
Future Amethyst grinned. " **I know, right? She actually** ** _has_** **learned to relax. Go figure.** "  
Pearl glanced at the other Amethyst. " **I can relax! Ugh. Anyway... the even edge to your top... I like that. Seems** ** _someone's_** **learned to take some pride in her appearance.** "  
" **Hey, I have pride.** " Amethyst huffed, crossing her arms.  
Future Pearl snickered. " **She's finally learned that her hair doesn't need to be a rats' nest... And the ponytail was a nice touch.** "  
Future Amethyst shook it out slightly. " **Plus, I think it adds a bit more... oomph, to my spin attack. Which is always a bonus.** "  
Amethyst gave a thumbs up. " **Nice one.** "

" **Anyway...** " Future Pearl cleared her throat. " **Back to business. Now, I can give you the information you need to get home. Basically, I can tell you where each ripple we used to get back will appear, and when, so you can get there well in advance and simply wait for it. You can still use the detector to warn you when it's starting to open, and jump through with plenty of time to spare.** "  
Pearl sighed. " **That would be incredibly helpful.** "  
The other Pearl nodded. " **I know.** " she smiled. " **But first, there are other matters to attend to. For starters... I'm sorry, but you kids stink.** "  
Steven and Connie both blushed deeply. Steven gave his left armpit a quick sniff and blanched. " **That was a mistake...** " he groaned.  
Future Pearl nodded at her younger self. " **You need to take out two pairs of Steven's spare emergency clothes.** "  
Turning, she walked towards a nearby motel, it's broken neon sign saying ' ** _V_** _A_ ** _C_** _A_ ** _NC_** Y in faded flickering orange. As Pearl summoned a pile of neatly folded clothes, Future Pearl stopped in front of a door. It easily swung open, the lock long since broken. " **Okay, Steven, you use the shower in the back here. Connie, you'll be in the next room. Go heavy on the shampoo and soap,** ** _please_** **. Pass your old clothes out through the door; I can take them over to that laundromat and get them cleaned up while we wait for you. Maybe do some repairs too.** " she mused, fingers drifting over a tear on Connie's shoulder from her rough landing after the first ripple, gone unnoticed by everyone during the shock of seeing Rose. " **Once you're both clean, we can go over to that diner and get some food into you.** "  
Pearl handed Steven a set of clothes as he walked past into the room, before stepping over to hand the other set to Connie.  
Connie dashed into the other room. " **God, I hope the water's nice and hot...** " she muttered as she closed the bathroom door.

 ** _One Hour Later..._**

Steven grinned at the large plate of fish and chips the waitress set in front of him. " **Thank you, miss!** "  
" **Thank you, ma'am.** " Connie smiled as a similar plate was place in front of her.  
" **That's quite alright. You kids enjoy your meals.** " she smiled as she walked away, returning quickly with two more plates for both Amethysts. The sight of two sets of identical people, two of which were vividly purple, apparently didn't faze her in the slightest, as she merely smiled at them and after delivering their sodas she returned to the room behind the counter, the sound of a day-time soap opera reaching them.  
Steven groaned with happiness as he sunk his teeth into a piece of battered fish. " **This is sooo good!** " he exclaimed around the mouthful.  
Connie nodded with a mouthful of chips, some still poking out of her mouth. She quickly chewed and swallowed them, pausing for a quick sip of lemonade. " **I'm clean, and having something unhealthy that my parents would be annoyed about if they ever knew. What's not to like?** " she giggled as she grabbed another handful of chips.  
" **Connie, what a rebel.** " Amethyst grinned.  
The other one smirked. " **Yeah. Pearl was totally a bad influence on her. For shame, Pearl.** "  
Both Pearls blushed. " **You're forgetting something.** " Future Pearl started.  
" **I convinced Pink Diamond to rebel against herself and her status.** " Pearl added.  
" **I was always a bad influence.** " Both Pearls said simultaneously. Looking at each other, they burst out laughing.  
" **Bad to the core, baby.** " Pearl grinned.  
Future Pearl winked. " **You're looking at pure evil.** "  
" **In stereo.** " They both finished with matching smirks.

Future Pearl reached over and grab a couple of chips off of her Amethyst's plate, chewing on them happily.  
The group froze in shock, disgust clear on Pearl's face.  
" **Whoa... You eat now?** " Amethyst stared.  
Future Pearl looked around at them. " **Huh? Oh, yeah. Sometimes. I have a few favourite things now.** "  
Beside her, Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. Just a heads up: she steals chocolates. If they go missing, it was her.** " she pointed at their Pearl with a grin, who paled in response.  
Future Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Please, Ame. Garnet's the one with the infamous sweet tooth. She's definitely taking at least half of them.** " she shook her head as she took another chip.  
Her Amethyst smirked. " **Yeah, maybe. But she's not the one emptying the bin, which means throwing out the wrappers and disposing of the evidence.** "  
The thin gem took a sip of lemonade. " **You'll never prove it in court.** " she smiled around the straw. " **But, I will admit to disappearing with the ice-cream on occasion.** "  
" **I knew it! You fiend.** "

Pearl shuddered. " **I... don't even know what to think about all this...** " she moaned, dropping her head into her hands and massaging her gem.  
Her older self calmly shrugged. " **Hey, listen. It's not so bad. As long as you avoid anything spicy, anyway.** " she shuddered. " **Let's just say, me and spicy are** ** _not_** **on speaking terms...** " she sighed. " **But sweet things, like chocolate ice-cream, are quite delicious. Once I finally had a taste, I felt pretty silly about avoiding them for so long.** " she chuckled. " **Just... don't worry so much about it. Live a little, you renegade.** " she winked as she took a small handful of chips.  
Steven finished his fish and started on the pile of chips. " **So, what kind of food do you like?** "  
She smiled over at him. " **Well, chocolate is definitely at the top of the list. As is ice-cream. And pastries. And of course, I've grown quite food of potatoes.** " she added as she grabbed another chip, bumping Amethyst's hand in the process.  
" **Ya could have just ordered some for yourself ya know...** " Future Amethyst sighed, picking up her piece of fish and pushing the plate towards Pearl.  
She rolled her eyes. " **Oh, no. It's much more fun taking them from you.** " she teased, poking her tongue out briefly, pushing the plate back with decidedly less chips on it. She giggled and faced Steven again. " **Let's see... Well, there's a few more, but those are my main favourites. Turns out, I also have a bit of a sweet tooth.** "  
Steven grinned. " **Those are all awesome!** "

The plates cleared, everyone sat back with a sigh.  
Glancing out the window at the dimly lit street outside, Future Pearl nodded. " **Okay, how about we go back to the motel, and you kids can get a good night's sleep.** " she glanced over at herself. " **Don't worry: I've already checked the beds, and taken the sheets over to be cleaned.** "  
Pearl sighed and nodded. " **That's a relief.** "  
" **There's a room with two single beds. The door lock is broken, everything seems to be around here...** " she muttered. " **But we'll be right outside, so no-one can get close.** "

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As the group boarded the train, Amethyst and Pearl nervously bumped into each other at the door, both blushing madly. Avoiding eye contact, they sat down beside each other in the compartment, the kids opposite them.  
Connie checked the schedule pamphlet again. " **Okay, this train will take a few hours to reach our next station... From there, it's... how far to the warp pad?** "  
Pearl glanced over. " **Another few hours walk.** "  
Connie nodded. " **Okay. At least we're rested and fed. How long do we have until the next ripple?** "  
Pearl summoned the list her future-self had provided and checked it. " **We have until... just after midnight tonight. Assuming there's no delays, we should easily make it in time, and be able to warp to the ripple's location.** " she nodded as she stored it again. " **And the detector will alert us when it's starting to open.** "  
Just then, the train gave a jolt, and started to move.  
" **By this time tomorrow, we'll be in the past again.** "


	8. An Impossible Meeting

**Beach City, modern day:**

Priyanka folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them with a sigh. " **I can't believe this... We've haven't seen our children in... five days, and we** ** _still_** **haven't called the police?!** "  
Greg sighed. " **I know how you feel, Priyanka, trust me on that. But what exactly would we tell them?** " he took out his cell and pretended to make a call. " **Police? Yes, there are two kids missing in time with a pair of alien rocks. We know for sure that they're five thousand years in the past because of a couple of other alien rocks told us so.** " he poked a thumb towards the two pearls standing out on the balcony, close to the two large diamonds. " **What do we do?** " he laughed darkly and shook his head as he pocketed the phone. " **They'd think we're nuts. Or worse, charge us with wasting their time, or misusing the emergency number...** " he took another sip of his tea. " **I mean, sure, I could easily handle the fines, but...** " he sighed. " **Waiting for them to come back is really all we** ** _can_** **do.** "  
Doug nodded and rubbed Priyanka's back. " **He's right, dear. No-one would believe us...** "

The warp pad activated, and they paused for a moment.  
Garnet stepped off beside Bismuth with a sigh. " **No sign of them yet...** " she walked over to the couch and sat with a flump, the seat creaking ominously beneath her.  
" **Yeah, we checked and yelled all over the area, and nothing.** " Bismuth sat beside her.  
" **We even checked a few warp pads in places that Pearl cares about, just in case she left some sort of sign there for us...** " Garnet shifted and swung her legs onto the couch, leaning back on Bismuth. " **I just... don't know what else to do...** " she murmured, as Bismuth wrapped an arm around her.

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As the group fell out of the ripple, Pearl quickly stood up. " **Okay, the next ripple isn't until late tonight, so we have a few hours to spare.** " Glancing around, she reached down and helped Connie to her feet before walking towards the corner. Nodding at what she saw, she turned and motioned for them to follow her.  
As the group turned the corner, they were surprised to see Pearl fiddling with the handle of a car parked beside the street. Suddenly, she opened it and climbed in, reaching over to unlock the other doors as they dashed over to her.  
" **Get in.** " she said as she pulled on the seatbelt.  
With a quick glance, they scurried in, Amethyst jumping over the car to hurl herself into the front. " **Shotgun!** " she called with a laugh.  
As the kids climbed into the backseat in silence, Amethyst rubbed her hands gleefully as Pearl looked around for keys. " **Nothing...** " she muttered. " **Plan 'B' then.** "  
" **Ooh, are ya** **gonna hotwire it?** " Amethyst grinned.  
Pearl glanced at her with a sideways smirk. " **Tch, what kind of amateur do you take me for?** " she placed one of her fingers at the keyhole, and with a small glow of light, she shapeshifted it to fit. With a deft flick of her wrist, the engine roared into life, and Pearl drew her finger back out. " **Seatbelts, please.** " she added smugly.  
Steven and Connie glanced at each other as they pulled the straps and clicked them into place. " **Isn't this... illegal?** " Steven whispered, unsure.  
" **Yeah... What about fingerprints?** " Connie glanced at Pearl's face, reflected in the rear-view mirror.  
Pearl shrugged. " **Gems don't have any, and you two don't legally exist at this point in time, which makes a pretty good alibi. Besides, we need transportation. There's something we need to do here, but we can't simply warp there.** " she added as she pulled the car onto the road and drove away.

" **Ame, turn on the radio. Try to find any mention of the date...** "  
Amethyst fiddled with the knobs, occasionally pausing to nod her head to the beat. " **Hey, I remember that one.** "  
Pearl glanced over. " **Focus...** "  
Amethyst shook her head. " **Right. Sorry.** " she added with a blush.  
As they passed by a large sign, Steven's eyes widened. " ** _Ocean Town... Voted least likely to be on fire_** **... Hey! That was Ocean Town.** "  
" **Whomever voted them** ** _least_** **likely to be on fire** ** _really_** **should have consulted Sapphire...** " Pearl sighed.  
Just then, Amethyst found a news channel. " ** _-won by two points. And that's the news for today, Friday the Twelfth of July, 1991. Now here's Bryan Adams, with 'Everything I Do, I Do It for You'..._** "  
As the music filled the car, Connie and Steven glanced at each other. " **Geez... I haven't even been conceived yet...** " Connie whispered.

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An hour later, they passed a sign for Beach City.  
Steven stopped singing along to the radio. " **Hey... Why did we drive home? We could have warped...** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **No, we would have run into our younger selves. Chaos and anarchy, Steven. It could have affected the timeline. Our younger selves don't need to know we were here, until they become us.** "  
Amethyst counted her fingers. " **Yeah, this time travel stuff is seriously confusing...** " she sighed.  
Pearl shrugged. " **I'm not even going to** ** _attempt_** **to deny that.** "  
Connie spoke up. " **So... why are we going to Beach City?** "  
Pearl glanced back at the two kids in the rear-view mirror. " **A very important personal mission. Steven?** "  
" **Yeah Pearl?** "  
" **How would you like to actually** ** _meet_** **Rose? In person?** "

Steven stared at Pearl's reflection.  
Pearl glanced back at his stunned face and pulled over, undoing her seatbelt so she could twist around. " **Hey, are you okay?** "  
Steven clenched his shirt over his gem. " **Meet... meet my mother?...** " he whispered.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yeah.** " she said softly. " **I know she'd go crazy to meet you. Not being able to ever see you was probably the only thing she regretted about her decision to have you...** " she glanced down for a moment, then back up. " **If you don't want to, that's okay. We can just go a warp, and wait for tonight's ripple...** "  
Steven closed his eyes briefly. " **No. I mean... yes... I... I want to.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Okay. And if you just want to yell at her about the secrets and lies, that's okay too. Quite frankly, she needs a good scolding...** " she muttered. " **But take it easy on her. She is pregnant with you, after all. You upset her too much, she could go into labour, and you could end up having being born much too early.** " she added before she turned and restarted the car with her finger.

Pearl pulled over, parked beneath the water tower and undid her seatbelt. " **Okay, we'll walk from here.** "  
The group made their way quietly through the town. Pearl lead them on a zigzag through the streets. " **We need to avoid the car wash, so Greg doesn't see you. Not yet, anyway...** " she smiled.  
Steven gasped and stared as two identical small dark girls ran along, laughing. " **Jenny and Kiki...** " he whispered.  
" **Vote for my dad**!" The Mayor's truck rolled past, as they saw a very young boy wearing sunglasses in the passenger seat beside the mayor.  
" **Buck...** " Steven grinned.  
Pearl lead them behind the back of the Big Donut, narrowly avoiding a young Sour Cream carrying a box of donuts, and up to the top of the temple hill. Near the top of the lighthouse, they carefully neared the edge and glanced down.

Far below, on the sand in front of them, in the shade of a fallen stone hand, sat Rose Quartz. Her legs were out in front of her, and one hand rested on her belly as she held a book. Steven watched in wonder as a younger Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl appeared and walked toward Rose.  
" **We're about to leave on a mission. Rose has to stay behind for your safety. She will be alone here for a few hours, so we'll have time to go down and talk to her.** " Pearl whispered, one hand on Steven's shoulder.  
Steven nodded quietly, and watched as the younger gems turned and disappeared from view. Pearl grabbed Steven and Connie, tucking them each under an arm and dashed behind the lighthouse. " **Ame, hide!** " she hissed.  
Amethyst ran beside her just as the blue beacon of light of a warp pad activating flashed past the cliff. As it faded from view, Pearl sighed and released the kids. " **Okay, we can go down there now. You ready, Steven?** "  
Steven nodded. " **Yeah...** "

Rose hummed softly to herself as she ran a hand over her belly. A shadow fell over her and she looked up. " **Pearl? You're back already? Err... Why did you change your clothes?** "  
Pearl smiled fondly. " **Hey Rose... I'm...not actually here, and if anyone asks, you spent the afternoon sitting here alone, okay?** "  
Rose nodded, confused. " **Okay? That... doesn't really explain anything though.** "  
Pearl leaned against the stone hand, arms crossed. " **The short story? There was an... incident, on a mission. Not the mission we just left on... A different one, in the future. We fell into a ripple in time, and are trying to find our way back. We'll get there eventually, don't worry.** " she waved a hand loosely. " **By we, I mean everyone except Garnet. She got left behind in our time. But Amethyst is here.** "  
Amethyst popped out from behind the hand. " **Yo.** " she grunted.  
Rose smiled. " **Hey, Amethyst. You look so cool. I love your new form.** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **What, this old thing? It's alright, I guess...** "  
" **It's yours, so it's perfect.** " Rose held out a hand to her.  
Amethyst hesitated, and finally took it, allowing herself to be pulled into a hug. " **I... I miss you...** " she whispered.

Pearl waited for a moment. " **Rose, there's someone else that you need to meet.** "  
Amethyst pulled away from Rose and walked behind the hand.  
" **Who?** " Rose tilted her head, curious.  
" **First, a question. How badly do you want to meet your son?** " she pointed at Rose's belly.  
Rose sighed and placed a hand over her gem. " **Oh, more than anything...** "  
Amethyst picked Steven up and carried him into view, placing him next to Pearl.  
" **Rose.** " Pearl placed a hand on his shoulder. " **Meet Steven Quartz Universe.** "

Steven nervously waved.  
Rose gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. " **S-Steven?** "  
Steven nodded. Clenching his shirt, he glanced down for a moment, and then raised the edge, showing the bright pink gem embedded where his naval would be.  
Rose climbed to her knees, reaching out and holding out a hand. " **Oh my stars... This is... You're here...** " Tears started to stream as she reached forwards and grabbed him, gently pulling him toward her and wrapping him into a hug. " **Stars, Pearl... he's gorgeous! Look at this! I made this! Eeeeeeee!** " she squealed, sitting back.  
Steven hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her neck. " **Hey mum...** " he whispered, tears leaking from his eyes.

Connie stepped out and waited beside Amethyst as the two cuddled.  
" **He really needed this...** " Amethyst whispered.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yeah... So did we, I think.** " she sighed as she slid down, sitting against the stone hand. Amethyst and Connie joined her.  
" **Pearl?** "  
" **Yes, Connie?** "  
Connie pointed at Steven and Rose. " **I think he might like it if you took a picture with your phone.** " she whispered.  
Pearl stared at her for a moment. " **Stars, you're right.** " Summoning her phone, she snapped a quick candid picture of the two young diamonds. " **Hey, you two.** " she called.  
Steven turned to face her. Seeing the phone, his eye lit up. " **Yeah, I want pictures!** "  
After a few minutes of posing, Pearl nodded. " **Okay, I have to conserve the battery, but this are all great. Once we get home, and you can charge your phone, I can send them to you.** "  
Steven nodded happily. " **Thanks Pearl. Thanks Connie.** " he looked at her with a smile, showing that he heard her whispers.  
Connie blushed. " **I figured you'd hate to leave without some shots of this...** "

" **Ooh, and who's this?** " Rose pointed at Connie with a grin.  
" **That's Connie!** " Steven said with a matching grin. " **She's my best friend.** "  
Pearl helped Connie to stand. " **She's also probably the best sword student I've ever had.** " she added, proudly placing a hand on Connie's shoulder.  
Connie blushed. " **Oh geez... Hello, ma'am.** " she bowed slightly.  
" **Hello, dear.** " Rose held out a hand, and Connie shook it nervously. " **It's wonderful to meet you.** "  
Amethyst chuckled. " **Hey, you two wanna show Rose your special friend?** "  
At their confused faces, she bumped her hands together, and Steven gasped. " **Yeah!** "  
Climbing out of Rose's arms, he ran to Connie and whispered into her ear.  
Connie blushed and nodded. " **Okay.** "  
Walking a short distance away, the two faced each other and began to dance.  
As they spun around, Steven's gem started to glow, and Rose's mouth dropped open at the two children merged together with a shower of sparkles.

" **Rose, meet Steven's first fusion, Stevonnie.** " Pearl said proudly.  
Amethyst grinned. " **I named 'em.** "  
Rose squealed and bounced slightly on the spot. " **Holy shit Pearl, lookit** **mah baby's first fusion! They're fucking perfect!** "  
Stevonnie stared and blushed.  
Pearl sighed and ran a hand down her face wearily. " **Rose, we do not swear in front of the impressionable young teenagers.** "  
Rose glanced over at her, her face filled with glee. " **What? But I've heard you say much worse things, Pearl...** " she winked  
Pearl blushed, her eyes darting towards Stevonnie. " **But** ** _I_** **don't say them in front of the children.** " she crossed her arms and huffed.  
" **Yeah, we all promised Greg that we wouldn't say that stuff in front of Steven until he's like... sixteen, or something.** " Amethyst rolled her eyes. " **I miss my favourite word though. And hearing Pearl curse was always fun.** " she added with a smirk as Pearl stammered, her face dark blue.  
Stevonnie looked back and forth between them. " **I'm... not sure I'm ready to hear Pearl swear...** " they sighed.  
Pearl collected herself and rolled her eyes. " **Good, because you won't. So long as nobody annoys me too much, anyway...** " she added in a low mutter to herself.

Stevonnie's hand brushed against the gem in their belly and they sighed. " **Hey, can I ask you something?** " they turned toward Rose.  
" **Sure thing, baby. What is it?** " Rose leaned forward.  
Stevonnie took a deep breath. " **I-I know you're really Pink Diamond...** " they began.  
Rose's face fell. Her eyes darted to Pearl.  
Pearl nodded. " **I had no choice. Steven gave himself up to** ** _Homeworld_** **. He was put on** ** _trial_** **by Yellow and Blue, for Rose Quartz's** ** _supposed_** **crimes. He** ** _needed_** **to know the truth. They all did.** " she crossed her arms. " **Garnet was furious, and confused. They... They unfused!** " she stood, pacing slightly in front of Rose as they others watched warily. " **Sapphire ran off! It took all night to find her and explain the truth before she came back, and then Ruby was missing! It was days before they formed Garnet again.** " Pearl glared at Rose. " **I told you at the end of the war that Garnet** ** _needed_** **to know the truth, that the longer we lied to her, the more she'd be** ** _pissed_** **if she ever found out the truth... and you** ** _insisted_** **that everything would be fine. Well, now they know, Pink. And I'm glad they do.** " Pearl turned and walked away, finally sitting on the edge of the warp pad.

Rose covered her face with her hands and sobbed, tears leaking between her fingers.  
Stevonnie glanced back at Pearl and sighed. " **Yeah... Garnet was** ** _really_** **upset... Ruby and Sapphire too.** "  
Amethyst made a noise. " ** _Tch_** **. We all were.** ** _Everything_** **was a lie. My entire** ** _life_** **, I thought you were like, the greatest quartz ever. I wanted to** ** _be_** **like you. Turns out, you were just a diamond, playing pretend.** " she sighed and walked away, sitting next to Pearl on the warp pad.  
Stevonnie sat down on the sand. " **After Garnet came back... Blue and Yellow attacked.** "  
Rose lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear and sorrow.  
" **We fought them, and I... well, Steven, got knocked out by Yellow. He somehow managed to talk to them, tell them who he was. Who you were. They've agreed not to attack the Earth again. And to help fix the corrupted gems.** "  
Rose sniffed sadly. " **Th-they did?** " she whispered.  
Stevonnie nodded. " **Yeah. Thing is... For the last five thousand years... Yellow blamed herself for Pink being shattered. And Blue has cried, pretty much constantly. She kept the Zoo going, simply to preserve your memory. And she visited your palanquin every chance she got, just to cry and mourn.** " they looked Rose in the eyes. " **You were wrong, you know. They really did love you. They still do. They just... didn't know how to show it back then.** " Stevonnie shrugged.

Rose sighed sadly and wiped her eyes, glancing over at Amethyst and Pearl talking quietly to each other. " **They... hate me now, don't they?** "  
" **No.** " Stevonnie shook their head. " **Amethyst's just... cause you were like her mum, and she feels... I dunno, betrayed? And Pearl... She spent the last five thousand years with this massive secret, knowing how angry her friends will be with her if they ever found out about it. She spent all this time feeling guilty, because if she hadn't help you fake your shattering, the Corruption wouldn't have happened. All the other Crystal Gems wouldn't be bubbled inside the Burning Room so they can't hurt anyone. They'd be hanging around, laughing."** They sighed. " **Pearl's been holding onto a lot of guilt that she really didn't need to because of your final order to her. That was really a terrible thing to do. You** ** _know_** **she wouldn't have told anybody. She loved you way too much to ever betray you like that.** "  
Rose sniffled. " **I know... I'm just... a massive pink idiot...** " she paused to wipe her eyes. " **To be honest... Pearl was always the brains of the outfit. She's the only reason the Crystal Gems survived as long as we did. Most of my plans would have gotten us all killed. That little genius saved us from being massacred so many times...** "

They sat in silence for a moment.  
Stevonnie reached out and picked up the book Rose had been reading. " **Oh, I remember this one! It was my... Steven's favourite book, when he was little.** "  
Rose looked at it. " **Really? I'm so glad. I was just... reading it to you...** " she gently patted her belly with a blush. " **Well, sorta. I have no idea if he can even hear me in there... But still.** "  
Stevonnie nodded and after a moment, they nodded again and unfused.  
Steven sat up quickly and helped Connie up. With a quick smile, she turned and walked towards the warp pad.  
Turning to Rose, Steven picked the fallen book back up and held it out to her. " **Well, I can hear you now.** " he said softly with a faint blush.  
Rose's eyes sparkled, and she quickly pulled Steven down to sit on what was left of her lap. Taking the book, she opened it to the first page. " **The Owl and the Lion went to sea...** " she began.

Amethyst and Pearl watched as Connie walked over and sat next to them.  
" **Everything okay?** " Amethyst asked.  
Connie nodded. " **Yeah. He just wanted her to read that book to him.** "  
Pearl groaned. " **Oh stars, not the one with the owl...** "  
Amethyst ran her hands down her face. " **Oh man... he was obsessed with that crazy poem.** " she gave a groaning laugh.  
" **Really?** " Connie smiled.  
Amethyst sighed. " **He wanted that read to him, like, ten times a day, at least. He only stopped asking after Pearl taught him how to read it himself.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Connie, the only reason I taught him to read at the age of two was so that** ** _we_** **wouldn't have to read that book to him anymore.** " she sighed. " **I know it sounds mean, but... Garnet started warping away the moment she heard the word 'Owl'. Greg admitted to being tempted to 'lose' the book somewhere.** "  
" **Pearl had to stop me from eating it, just to end the suffering...** " Amethyst chuckled.  
Pearl shook her head. " **I personally wanted to toss it in some far-flung corner of my gem and forget it existed. The only one who liked that poem after the fiftieth time was Steven.** "  
Connie giggled. " **I was more into 'The Intelligent Merchant' myself...** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Oh yes, I'm familiar with that one.** " she summoned a book from her gem and flipped through it. " **Here.** "  
She held it out to Connie, and the girl's eyes lit up as she saw the familiar story. " **Oh wow...** " she checked the cover of the book. " **Indian Fairy Tales...** " glancing over at Rose and Steven, she nodded. " **I've got time.** " she grinned as she settled down to read the book.

 ** _A couple of hours_** ** _later..._**

Pearl walked over to Steven. " **Sorry to interrupt... But it's time to go. They'll be back from the mission soon, and it's best if we're not here when that happens.** "  
Rose sighed and gave Steven a hug. " **Oh, I am so proud of you. My little man. Look after your father, listen to the others, and marry that girl and have me lots of grandbabbies.** " she grinned.  
Steven blushed brightly. " **Oh stars... Mum!** " he covered his face.  
Pearl laughed. " **Rose, don't tease the poor lovesick boy.** "  
Steven groaned. " **I can't win...** "  
" **Steven, head over to the warp pad now, okay? Take them to... the strawberry battlefield. I'll be there shortly. I just... I have something I need to say to your mother**." she sighed.  
Steven nodded, and gave Rose one last hug. " **Bye, mum. It was great meeting you.** "  
" **Bye sweetie.** " Rose waved as he ran up to the warp pad.

Pearl waited until they disappeared in a flash of blue light. " **Rose. I've already said most of what needed to be said. Both today, and before you... before Steven was born.** " she sighed. " **But, there's something else.** "  
Rose waited patiently. " **Yes, Pearl?** "  
" **Before we came here, we were actually in the future for a day or so. We meet ourselves, Amethyst and I**." she blushed. " **We learned that Steven is still alive more than two hundred years from now. He could possibly live as long as he wanted to.** " she sighed. " **I'm okay with that. Relieved actually. I... I love that kid. I was dreading losing him some day.** "  
Rose nodded. " **Having met him... I can see why. He really is amazing.** "  
Pearl smiled. " **You don't know half of it. He's probably the best decision you've ever made. Even if I didn't think that for a long time... Now, I don't know what we'd do without him.** " she laughed. " **He even convinced Greg and I to actually talk to each other. We've... worked things out. I wouldn't say we're friends, of course, but...** " she shrugged vaguely.  
Rose smiled happily. " **Oh, I'm glad. I only wanted you two to get along.** "  
Pearl sighed and rolled her eyes. " **Rose, as a general rule, when Person A and Person B are both in love with Person C... A and B tend to not like each other. We were rivals for your affections. And I was** ** _furious_** **that he had won.** " she shook her head. " **But, we're over that now.** "  
Glancing at the sky, Pearl frowned. " **Okay, I have to get going now. The me from this time will be here soon, and I really don't want to have to fight myself... Just remember, you were here alone. Goodbye Rose. Possibly forever, this time...** " she bent over and gave Rose a quick kiss on the cheek. " **Thank you, for Steven. He really is amazing.** "  
" **Bye, Pearl.** " Rose waved as Pearl walked to the warp pad and disappeared.

A few minutes later, the warp pad lit up again, revealing Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl standing there.  
Rose waved at them, her eyes shining with a mixture of sadness and happiness. " **Hey, guys.** "

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Pearl appeared on the warp pad with a sigh.  
Amethyst glanced at her, then looked away, jealously tingeing her eyes.  
" **Hey, Pearl!** " Steven called, his mouth full of strawberry, juice smeared on his face and shirt.  
Pearl sighed. " **Hey Steven. You've got a little something...** " she pointed at his curly brown hair with a smile.  
Steven reached up and pulled the large seed away. " **Hehehe, whoops.** "  
Connie took another careful bite, watching in amazement as Amethyst swallowed a strawberry the size of her own head whole.  
Pearl sat on the warp pad. " **Eat your fill. Then we can get you somewhat cleaned up before we head to the next location.** " she looked up at the stars already filling the sky in this part of the world with an unfamiliar sense of peace.


	9. Silence

**_China, 1025bce:_**

The group found themselves beside a wide dark slow-moving river.  
Pearl quickly gathered them up. Warping to another location, the warp pad placed on top of a small hill, she pulled some blankets out of her gem. " **Okay, we need to spend the night here. The next ripple is in a few hours.** " Covering them up, she patted both their heads. " **Good night.** "  
Steven yawned. " **Thanks, for taking me to see my mum.** "  
Pearl smiled. " **I'm just happy that you enjoyed it. Now, go to sleep, Steven.** "  
" **Way ahead of ya...** " Connie muttered, her eyes already closed as she buried herself deeper into the blankets.

 **South America, 5000 years ago:**

The four fell out of the ripple, tumbling down the slope of the hill.  
As the finally reached the bottom and rolled to a stop, Pearl sprung up. " **Are you kids okay?** " she asked anxiously, checking them as she helped them up.  
Connie shook her head. " **That... could have gone better.** " she groaned. " **But, I'm okay...** "  
Steven nodded as he licked a finger and touched it to a scrape on his arm. " **I'm okay too.** " he said as the scrape disappeared with a shimmer.  
Amethyst sighed. " **That's good. That landing was almost as rough as when Pearl kicked Sugilite's butt.** "  
" **Only almost?** " Pearl asked with a smirk.  
Amethyst rolled her dark blue eyes. " **We're... never gonna live that whole mess down, are we?** "  
" **Nope.** " Pearl grinned.

Just then, an invisible line appeared in the sky, clearing and destroying the clouds ahead of it. The group looked up in confusion.  
" **What's that?** " Connie asked, nervously.  
Pearl shook her head. " **Looks like a sonic boom, perhaps... But, there's nothing in this time period that could cause that...** "  
" **Why is the sky doing that?** " Amethyst asked nervously, stepping closer to Pearl and the two now worried children.  
Above them, the sky had taken a strange tint, appearing as various shades of green.  
Pearl stared. " **Oh stars, no...** "  
" **What is it, Pearl?** " Steven asked, his eyes filled with worry.  
Pearl turned to him, both hands on his shoulders. " **Steven, shield, now.** " her eyes darted back to the distant sky, now turning to purple.  
Amethyst shook her head. " **What's that weird-ass noise?** "  
Connie glanced at her. " **What noise? I don't hear anything...** "  
" **Seriously?! It's getting louder...** "  
" **Yeah, I hear it too...** " Steven nodded, hand reaching instinctively for his gem. " **It's... kinda tingly... in here...** " he pointed at his belly.  
" **Steven, shield...** " Pearl stepped back, her form shaking as her hands flew up to cover her own gem.  
They looked at her, everyone equally confused. " **Pearl, what's going on?** " Amethyst asked, one hand grasping over her gem, the other reaching for Pearl with concern.  
Pearl stared into the sky, her pale blue eyes filled with fear. " **The Corruption.** " she whispered.

As the sky slowly turned red above them, the group stared at her in horror.  
Steven started trying to summon his shield, his eyes darting towards the distant sky with fear. " **Come on, come on, come on... Why don't you work when I need you?!** "  
The space in front of his gem sparkled slightly, but nothing appeared.  
Amethyst started to shake. " **We're... we're fucked, aren't we?** " she whispered as the strange shimmering wall of light appeared on the horizon.  
Pearl dropped her hands. " **Amethyst.** " she barked, grabbing the smaller gem by the straps of her top. " **Dig,** ** _NOW_** **!** " she screamed, releasing her and darting to the base of the hill, her hands working furiously as she started to pull away handfuls of dirt and grass.  
Amethyst stared at her for a moment, and growled. Glowing briefly, she turned into a large mole and started clawing into the hillside, carving out a tunnel.  
Behind them, Steven's eye kept darting between the fast approaching wall of light and his gem, his eyes scrunched up as he struggled to block out the noise. " **Please, come on...** "

Connie watched the wall of light, now mere kilometres away, glancing back as Amethyst and Pearl continued to tunnel into the hillside.  
With a shimmer, Steven managed to create a small shield. Suddenly, he groaned and covered his ears, the noise finally too much for him to handle. His body curled over in a last-ditch attempt to protect his gem.  
Connie saw Amethyst glow and turn back into herself. " **Steven!** " the purple Gem called desperately, reaching out for him with one hand as the other covered her gem. Behind her, Pearl had curled into a ball, her hands covering her gem as she screamed.  
With a grimace, Connie grabbed the dropped shield and threw herself against Steven, shoving him backwards into the tunnel. She slammed the shield down over the entrance, holding herself against it in an attempt to offer some minor protection to the Gems as the wall of light finally reached them.

Steven breathed heavily as the noise faded to a more manageable level.  
Amethyst grabbed him and drew him into a tight hug. " **I've gotcha, buddy...** " she whispered.  
The two looked towards the tunnel entrance.  
Connie glanced trough the shield. She gave a quick smile and a thumbs up. " **I'm okay.** " they saw her mouth, and Amethyst nodded.  
Glancing back, they saw Pearl was still curled up, hands over her gem as she rocked back and forwards.  
" **Pearl?** " Steven called nervously.  
Her eyes, which now appeared glassy and grey, were staring straight ahead. " **...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...** " she whispered over and over.  
" **At least she stopped screaming...** " Amethyst said. " **That's good, right?** "

After a few minutes, Connie looked up. Nodding, she shifted the shield slightly. " **Hey, uh... the sky's turning blue again, and I can't hear that noise you were talking about... I'm not sure if it's safe... I mean... Is it gonna rebound around the Earth, or did it only pass once?** "  
Amethyst glanced back at Pearl. " **She's the only one who'd know that...** "  
Connie nodded, her eyes filled with worry. " **Okay. I'm gonna go to the top of the hill, check for any signs of it returning. I'll leave the shield here, just in case.** "  
Rocking the shield back into place, she quickly turned and disappeared. Faintly, they could hear her footsteps on the ground above them.  
" **You okay, Ste-man?** " Amethyst placed a hand gently on Steven shoulder.  
Steven nodded. " **Yeah... I wish I'd just summoned a shield when Pearl told me to the first time...** " he said sadly.  
" **It's okay, Steven. We didn't know. And we were all panicking. Except Connie, that little champ.** " she added fondly.  
Steven grinned. " **She saved us.** "  
Amethyst chuckled. " **Yep. Now ya** **_gotta_** **marry her.** "  
" **Amethyst!** " Steven groaned, his face red.

After a couple of minutes, Connie returned. Shifting the shield, she moved behind it before placing it back over the entrance and crawling towards them. " **Okay. It looks like everything's back to normal, but I don't know for sure...** " she glanced towards Pearl. " **Also, uh... the warp pad looks kinda weird now. Like, it's not blue anymore. It's grey. Maybe the Corruption affected the warp pads too?** "  
" **No-one said anything about that...** " Amethyst muttered, looking back towards Pearl. " **But...** " she paused, looking thoughtful. " **Actually, now that you mention it... When I first emerged, I started exploring the Kindergarten, and I found the warp pad. It looked grey back then too. And then later it turned blue. I didn't think too much of it, cause I didn't know what it was anyway, and I thought that's just what they did, but... Maybe you're right. The Corruption messed up the warps.** "  
Connie nodded. " **Well, at least we know they'll go back to normal eventually.** "  
Steven crawled back towards Pearl, who had started crying. " **Pearl...** " he asked nervously, reaching out a hand.  
" **This is the second time she's gone through this... It would have been traumatic enough the first time...** " Connie sighed sadly.

 ** _An hour later..._**

They were startled as Pearl suddenly uncurled and started crawling past them to push the shield away. With a glance, they followed her out as she stood and slowly started walking.  
" **Pearl? Where ya going?** " Amethyst called, darting in front of her.  
Pearl's eyes were glassy and unfocused, her face clear of emotions, the tear streaks still visible on her face.  
" **Pearl?** " Amethyst whispered as Pearl shuffled past her.  
Connie glanced at Steven. " **I... don't think Pearl's home right now...** " she said, her voice low with concern.  
Amethyst glanced back at the top of the hill. " **Uh... you guys stay with her. I'm just gonna check the warp pad. I'll catch up. She's not moving that fast anyway...** "  
The two kids caught up with Pearl, glancing back to watch as Amethyst raced to the top of the hill. They saw her stand on the warp pad for a moment before she came racing back down to them.  
" **Nope, it's busted.** " She sighed heavily. " **Come on, we should stick with Pearl, find out where she's going.** " she glanced around nervously. " **Besides, there could be corrupted gems around, and I don't think she's in any condition to protect herself.** "

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 ** _The next morning..._**

Connie stirred with a yawn, feeling a strange blanket covering her. Opened her eyes, she found herself looking up into Amethyst's face.  
" **Hey, kiddo. Sleep well?** "  
Connie glanced around, blushing as she realised that a large bulky Amethyst was carrying her and Steven. " **Yeah...** " she shifted the clump of Amethyst's hair that was thrown over her shoulder, covering her as a makeshift blanket. " **Pearl's still... out?** "  
Amethyst nodded sadly. " **Yeah... You two crashed, but she wasn't stopping, so...** " she gave a half-shrug on Connie's side, as not to disturb Steven. " **I shapeshifted bigger so I could handle ya both. Good thing I don't actually need to sleep, or we'd all be in trouble.** "  
Connie nodded in understanding. " **Thanks. Uh... I need to...** " she blushed.  
Amethyst gently placed the girl onto the ground. " **Be quick; Pearl's not stopping.** "  
Connie gave a nod as she darted into the trees.

A short while later, as Steven stirred, Amethyst gave a sigh. " **Good... I was getting to my limit there...** " she muttered as she placed him on the ground and went back to her normal size with a sigh.  
Steven rubbed his eyes. " **How's P-Pearl?** " he yawned deeply.  
" **Still walking.** " Connie nodded ahead at the thin gem.  
Steven sighed. " **Oh man...** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. She must be going somewhere, cause I think we're going in a straight line. The only times she shows any sign of seeing anything is when she steps around a tree. She just... steps back onto the same invisible path again as soon as she can...** "  
Steven started walking, but paused and glanced down. " **Uh... be right back.** " he blushed as he darted into the trees, his hand reaching for his zipper.  
Connie blushed and rolled her eyes as Amethyst chuckled. " **Humans...** " she muttered fondly.

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As the day wore on, the kids feet started to drag. As the trickling sound of water rose through the trees, they perked up.  
" **I am so freaking thirsty...** " Connie moaned, looking around for the water. " **We haven't had anything since... the other night, before the ripple.** "  
Amethyst glanced at Pearl before sniffing around. " **Uh... I think we're heading towards it.** " Shapeshifting large elephant ears, she listened intently as the kids stifled giggles at the strange sight. " **Yeah, it's up ahead.** " she nodded as she shifted the ears away.  
Walking a little faster, they came to a break in the trees. A small stream ran through it, and the children ran up to it in anticipation, but paused.  
Amethyst shook her head at the murky brown water. " **Yeah, no. I wouldn't even drink that. And I drink motor oil.** " Glancing back at Pearl, she shook her head. " **Pearl? Pearl, the kids need water.** "  
The thin gem continued walking, obvious.  
" **Pearl?!** " Amethyst tried to stop her, grabbing hold of her shoulders.  
The silent gem's legs continued walking, scraping against the jungle floor, held only in place by her friend.  
Amethyst let go of her and sighed deeply. " **Ugh... I really don't want to have to do this...** " she groaned. Glancing at a concerned Steven, she shook her head. " **Sorry bout this, but...** "  
With a glow of light, Amethyst grew and shapeshifted into a purple tinted replica of Pink Diamond.

Pink Diamond stepped quickly to get ahead of Pearl. " **Pearl, I need two bottles of water, now.** "  
Pearl paused in place, her arms folding into the diamond salute. " **Yes, my Diamond...** " she whispered before reaching up and summoning two bottles of water from her gem. She gently placed them on the ground at her feet.  
" **Thank you, Pearl.** " Pink Diamond stepped aside, and Pearl continued her mindless walk.  
Amethyst changed back and groaned. " **Ugh, that felt so freaking wrong...** " she muttered. Reaching out, she quickly grabbed the bottles and ran to shove them into the kid's hands. " **Okay, drink fast. But not too much. I dunno how long she's gonna be like this, and I** ** _really_** **don't wanna have to do that again...** "  
Steven and Connie nodded and opened their bottles, each taking a quick mouthful of water before placing the lid back.  
" **Thanks, Amethyst.** " Connie sighed after swishing it around and swallowing.  
Steven licked his lips. " **Yeah. It's a good thing you saw what mum** ** _really_** **looked like the other day... Or... Wait, how long have we've been...** "  
Connie shrugged and Amethyst glanced at him. " **Uh... I think about a week, maybe. So, we saw her... last week, I guess.** " she added. Glancing back at Pearl, her eyes widened. " **Come on, we'd better catch up. She's so thin, we could lose her if she steps behind a tree.** "

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After another night of carrying the children as they slept, and of carrying them through their exhaustion during the day, Amethyst looked drained. Still, Pearl showed no sign of stopping, And Amethyst was reluctant to try the same trick twice to get her to stop for the night.  
" **You reckon that fruit's safe to eat?** " Steven eyed the red object dangling from the tree hungrily.  
Amethyst looked up into the tree. " **Well, I see some kinda monkey up there. If it's safe for them, it's probably okay for you little chimps.** " Summoning her whip, she lashed out, snagging the fruit and pulling it down. Quickly, she cut it open and lick the juice that ran into her fingers as the two watched. " **Hmm... Yeah, tastes okay. Poison usually tastes like burning, so...** "  
Quickly, the kids grabbed half of the fruit each and tore into it.  
" **Uh, so good...** " Connie groaned, the red juice smeared across her face.  
" **Walk and talk, guys.** " Amethyst nudged them forwards as Pearl started to slip out of sight. Pausing, she used her whip to grab a couple more of the red fruits, bubbling and storing them in her gem before she ran to catch up.

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 ** _The next morning..._**

" **Uhhhhh...** " Steven groaned, his muddied feet dragging. His sandals had long since broken, and were now tied into Amethyst's hair. " **Where is she even going?** "  
Amethyst grunted. " **I dunno... But it better be filled with food, water and hot naked chicks, that's all I can say...** "  
Connie rolled her eyes as she limped along, the blisters rubbed into her feet slowing her pace. " **I think you mean, hot baths...** " she groaned. " **I miss hot water...** "  
" **The hot chicks can be naked in the baths...** " Amethyst managed a cheeky grin. " **...With chocolate...** "  
" **I want chocolate...** " Steven muttered, too tired to even be embarrassed by the conversation.  
Connie nodded. " **I miss chocolate.** " she paused to take a quick sip of water, frowning at the small amount left in the bottle. " **And you might have to ask her for water again soon...** "  
Amethyst glanced over and sighed. " **Crud... It feels so... wrong, giving her orders like that. Totally messed up. She's gonna hate me if she knew...** " she looked the two weary teens over. " **But, if it's for you guys, I guess she'll understand...** "

Suddenly, the trees ahead of them opened up, and they were surprised to find another warp pad sitting in the middle of the clearing. Pearl quietly walked over it, and continued through.  
" **Hmm... this one's still grey...** " Amethyst moved ahead and quickly stepped onto it, and after a brief pause, she sighed. " **Yeah, still broken.** "  
With a sigh, they followed her back into the trees.

A couple of minutes later, they saw another clearing up ahead, with a large building in the middle of it.  
" **Hey, civilisation!** " Amethyst grinned, urging the exhausted kids forward.  
As Pearl stepped into the clearing ahead of them, they noticed a bright red beam of light appear. It waved around and finally settled on her forehead, directly on top of her gem.

With a flash of light, Stevonnie ran forwards, their shield raised into the air. They held it over Pearl as a flash of energy came from the building, the beam reflecting from the shield.  
Pearl was oblivious, her constant pace unwavering as she continued moving forwards. The red beam appeared again.  
Amethyst darted forward, picking Pearl up as Stevonnie held the shield over the group.  
As the beam reflected off again, Amethyst yelled. " **Inside!** "  
Rushing forwards, they reached the door and Stevonnie slapped their free hand onto the hand-print beside them. The door slid open silently, and they all tumbled in, Amethyst wrapping her arms protectively around Pearl's waist.

After a moment, the group sighed. " **Well, that was nuts.** " Stevonnie grinned, glancing around to see Amethyst wrapped around Pearl. " **Uh...** "  
Amethyst quickly released Pearl and stood up with a blush. " **Nuttier than usual... Where the hell have you taken us, Pearl?** " she muttered, looking around.  
The interior of the building was dark, the windows murky. There was a thick layer of dust on every surface, and faintly visible on a nearby wall was an old diamond insignia with the four diamonds colours faded.  
" **This... is not what I was expecting..."** Stevonnie mused, standing up and shaking off the dust that had gotten caught in their hair.  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. I never thought I'd see** ** _Pearl_** **so eager to get to a place this filthy...** "  
Beside them, Pearl stood, the dust easily dropping from her as she started walking.  
" **Ugh, not again...** " Amethyst groaned.  
" **Wait.** "

Amethyst glanced aside at Stevonnie, who had picked Pearl up by her waist, lifting her off the floor easily as the thin gems' legs continued attempting to walk. " **Is that a warp pad over there?** " they nodded ahead.  
Amethyst moved over and leaned down, wiping the dust away with her hand. " **Hey, yeah. Good eye! It's pink for some reason, but at least it's not grey. Maybe this one's okay?** "  
Stevonnie glanced at Pearl. " **Well, hopefully, this is where she wants to be, and not just a building that's inconveniently in the way...** " Carrying Pearl, they walked over to the light pink warp pad, stepping onto it. Waiting until Amethyst had stepped on beside them, Stevonnie let Pearl go.  
Pearl's legs finally stopped moving and she stood there for a moment, before suddenly turning around to face their left.  
" **Now what?** " Stevonnie shrugged.  
Suddenly, a pink tinged blue glow started, and they felt themselves warping.

The group found themselves in a hallway, the diamond insignia on the wall beside them.  
" **Oh. I guess the pink warps are like, a lift, or elevator?** " Stevonnie mused.  
Amethyst shrugged. " **I dunno. Never seen one like that before...** "  
Pearl suddenly started walking forwards again, and they followed her along the hallway until she paused at a door. Reaching out, she tapped the small pad beside it, and the door slid open.  
They followed her into a room with a large desk, every surface covered in thick dust. A light breeze blew in through the slightly opened diamond-shaped window, barely lifting even the layer of dust inside the windowsill.  
Pearl walked into the centre of the room and paused before she turned to her left. Pausing in front of the wall, she tapped a spot and a panel slid aside, revealing a small space no bigger than a broom cupboard. Stepping into it, she paused, turned around on the spot and sat down, hugging her legs to her chest as she toppled onto her side, her still-grey eyes staring blankly across the room.  
" **Uh... Pearl?** "

The panel started to slide close, and with a yelp, Amethyst stuck her hand out to stop it.  
As if sensing her hand, the panel stopped and reopened.  
Amethyst sighed and knelt down, unfolding Pearl so that her legs jutted out of the small space before she stood again.  
After a short wait, Amethyst nodded. " **I guess that'll keep it open...** "  
With a flash of light, Stevonnie unfused, and the kids tumbled to the dust-covered floor with groans.  
" **Finally...** " Steven moaned, his eyes squeezed shut.  
Connie sighed. " **We don't have to move any** **more...** "  
Amethyst's legs wobbled and she fell to the floor with a sigh. " **'bout bloody time...** " she muttered, her eyes already closing.


	10. Searching

**_The next morning..._**

" **Huuuuuhhhhhhh...** " Connie groaned as she sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. Her hand came away coated with dust, and she stared at it, confused for a moment. A quick glance towards Pearl seemed to clear it up for her, and she sighed as she remembered the past few days of steady walking.  
With a groan, Steven rolled over. Suddenly, he sat up coughing and hacking.  
" **Steven?!** " Amethyst jumped up and rubbed his back. " **You okay, dude?** "  
Finally, Steven nodded, gasping slightly. " **Yeah... breathed in dust...** " he wheezed.  
As he caught his breath, Connie glanced around the room, taking notice of things she didn't register in her exhausted state the previous day. " **I guess Pearl must have spent some time here, before the war...** "  
Steven and Amethyst both looked at her, Amethyst's eyes darting to check on Pearl. " **Why d'ya reckon that?** "  
Connie shrugged and pointed at the faded pink diamond symbol on the opposite wall. " **Just a guess.** "

" **I gotta pee...** " Steven blushed.  
Amethyst rubbed her neck. " **I don't even know if there's a bathroom here... It** ** _is_** **a gem building...** " Kneeling down, she tapped Pearl's shoulder. " **Hey, Pearl.** " she said softly. " **I don't suppose you could show us where the bathroom is?** "  
As Pearl's eyes stared blankly ahead, Amethyst wiggled her fingers in front of them. " **Hello? Anyone alive in there?** "  
" **I think she's catatonic...** " Connie murmured softly.  
Amethyst sighed in frustration. " **Okay... I guess she's fine here. She doesn't seem to want to go anywhere anymore. Let's find you guys a garbage bin, or something...** " she grunted, standing.

Amethyst walked towards the opposite end of the hallway. " **Just checking what's up here... You two check these rooms.** "  
As Amethyst went around the corner, Steven and Connie each picked a door, tapping the small pads next to them with a nod at each other.  
" **Hmm... This looks like an office. A bit small though, there's barely enough room for that desk...** " Connie added.  
Steven nodded. " **A buncha crates, I think. And cobwebs.** "  
Connie shook her head. " **I'm not peeing anywhere near spiders.** "  
Steven checked the only other room. " **And that's a very large spider. Nope.** " he said simply, closing the door.  
Amethyst returned. " **Nah, just the roof. I guess, in a pinch, you could go up there... But let's keep looking, just in case.** "

After a brief pause, Amethyst made the warp go down one level. " **I... I just thought, down one.** " she explained with a blush.  
" **These look like office cubicles.** " Connie glanced around at the barely visible interior, the light through the windows diffused by the thick grime coating them.  
Amethyst stepped forward and had a quick look around. " **Man, not even a little bin. What kinda neat freaks were these gems?** "  
" **Pearls, maybe?** " Steven shrugged.  
Amethyst paused. " **Hehehe. You're probably right.** " she chuckled. " **Well, if Pearl worked here at some point, she'd probably hate if you messed it up. Well, not that anyone would notice right now...** " she added, shaking the dust from her long hair and tying it back with a knot. " **Let's try the next floor.** "

Floor after floor, they encountered workstations and cubicles. There was even what briefly looked like a water cooler, sadly empty, in a corner near the warp.  
" **Man, I bet that thing saw a lot of gossip back in the day...** " Amethyst mused as she sent them down again.  
Connie looked around. " **And this is where we came in.** "  
Steven twisted a little. " **I really hope we find somewhere soon...** " he muttered, clearly uncomfortable.  
Connie grimaced. " **Yeah, I'm not sure I can hold much longer...** "  
Amethyst sighed. " **Well, I guess you could make a run for the forest with a couple of shields... Let me just check if there's any more floors.** "

They appeared in a large room filled with shelves. Blocky items filled each one, and they could faintly see flashes of different colours under the dust.  
" **Hey, looks like a library!** " Connie exclaimed.  
Steven grinned. " **I wanna read them all... but first, pee...** " he jiggled slightly.  
Amethyst shook her head. " **Nope. Not here. This looks important. Pearl would have a fit. I'll try one more time, then it's the mad dash for ya both.** "

They found themselves in a long hallway. The dust wasn't as thick down here, but the only lighting came from faint glowing orbs embedded in the walls on either side, and the faint glow of the warp pad beneath their feet. Amethyst stayed on the warp pad for a moment. " **Nope, this is as far as it goes. Okay, this is the only place left before we try our luck with the lasery death beams, so... Let's quickly check these rooms.** "  
Splitting up, they each took a room.  
" **Okay, some sort of weird computer-looking dealy here.** " Amethyst called. " **And something covered up... Probably not a toilet though.** "  
Connie opened her door. " **The walls and floor look padded. Some sort of isolation room, maybe?** " she mused as Amethyst came up behind her.  
" **Hmm... Maybe... Steven, any luck?** "  
Steven looked over. " **Uh... I dunno. This one has sinks, and a table. A kitchen, maybe?** "

Amethyst and Connie walked over. " **That don't make sense. Gems don't need to eat. I only do it cause it's fun. And cause it annoys Pearl, which is a bonus.** "  
Looking into the room, they saw what looked like a dull metal table with deep channels carved into it at certain points, suspended above the floor by a single leg in the middle, with a hinge where the two pieces connected. The floor under the table was covered by a large grate, stained almost black. Around the sides of the room, there were cupboards, and a counter with a large sink embedded in it. On the other side of the room, a door was set into the wall, the alien writing on it filled with dust.  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Well you'd have to take turns, but you could probably use that sink.** "  
Reaching up, she turned the narrow bar above the sink to the left, and clear water ran out of the tube below it. Tasting it, she smiled. " **Yeah, tastes good. It's safe.** "  
" **Guys...** " Connie nervously spoke up. " **I... don't think this is a kitchen...** "  
The two gems looked back at her. " **Huh? Well, what else could it be?** " Amethyst asked, looking around as she turned the tap off.  
Connie gulped. " **It looks kinda like an autopsy room.** "

The two stared at her.  
" **Like, dead bodies?** " Steven whispered.  
Connie nodded. " **Maybe... Those channels in the table are for blood to drain away. The sink's for cleaning up afterwards. The grates... that's probably dried blood...** "  
Steven gulped and stepped away from the table. " **Uhh... Amethyst? Why would Pearl even** ** _know_** **about a place like this?** "  
Amethyst shook her head. " **I-I don't know...** "  
Connie pointed at the door with the embedded writing. " **What does that say?** "  
Amethyst looked at it and shrugged. " **I dunno. I was never really good at reading Gem... Pearl tried to teach me, but I didn't see the point of learning. I'm... really regretting that now...** "

Steven shifted. " **Uh... I really,** ** _really_** **need to go now... But this room is creepy...** "  
Amethyst glanced at him. " **Okay, um... Let's try a couple more rooms real quick. The sink can be the last option.** " She led the two out into the hallway.  
Connie tapped the next door. " **Some sort of control room...** " she shook her head and closed the door.  
Amethyst opened the next one. " **Err... Looks like some prison cells...** " she said quietly, unnerved. Turning to leave, she paused. " **Wait...** "  
Steven and Connie watched as Amethyst walked into the room, the lights activating with a flicker as she entered.  
Amethyst stepped into a cell and looked down. " **Hey, guys?** "  
" **Yeah?** " Steven called, walking into the room nervously, now jiggling and holding himself uncomfortably.  
" **In my experience, a small hole covered by a grate in the floor of a prison cell usually means toilet.** " she glanced around quickly, then nodded. " **I guess this is a good as it gets. Take a cell each. I'll be outside the door when you're done. You can wash your hands back in the creepy room.** " she moved passed them towards the door.

A few minutes later, Amethyst stopped leaning against the wall as Steven came out of the cell room with a happy smile. " **All good, dude?** "  
Steven nodded. " **Yeah. Just need to wash my hands.** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **'Kay. Let's wait for Connie first, though. This place gives me the creeps, and I don't want to go too far from either one of you...** "  
Just then, Connie came back, tucking her shirt back in with a blush.  
" **Okay, hands.** " Amethyst nodded.

As the two washed their hands, Connie saw a strange device attached to the wall behind it. " **I wonder what this is?** " she asked, tapping it.  
Suddenly, a strange orange fluid came out of it, coating her hands.  
Connie gave a little shriek of surprise.  
" **Connie! You okay?** " Amethyst asked, darting behind her with concern.  
Connie moved the fluid around her fingers, and gave it a small sniff. " **Yeah... This smells a little like disinfectant...** " Shrugging, she rubbed it around her hands and then washed it off. After a moment, Steven tapped the device and collected some of it himself.  
Amethyst shook her head with amusement. " **Usually, I'm the one trying out strange things for the heck of it.** " She reached out and took a small amount of it herself, licking it off her hand. " **Ugh...** ** _tastes_** **like disinfectant...** "  
" **My hands feel cleaner than they have in days...** " Connie sighed happily.

Amethyst watched as they turned the water off. " **Hmm... Wait here guys, I'll be right back.** "  
Steven and Connie watched her run out of the room, and glanced at each other nervously. " **I dunno...** "  
" **We could probably give our teeth a quick brush while we wait...** " Connie turned the tap back on, wetting her finger and rubbing it along her teeth. Steven nodded and did the same.  
A couple of minutes later, Amethyst returned, holding their two empty water bottles. " **That water's pretty fresh and tastes clean. I don't wanna have to mess with Pearl like that again, so...** " She waited until they moved before holding a bottle under the water. " **Okay, I think humans can go, like... a month or whatever, without food, before anything permanent happens, so as long as we have water, you should be fine for now. Not happy, sure, but you'll live.** "  
Steven groaned. " **I hope Pearl wakes up soon...** "  
" **Me too, Ste-man...** " Amethyst said quietly, handing him the first bottle. " **If all else fails, I can turn into a bird and fly above the lasers...** "  
Steven shook his head. " **But, what if you get hit? I don't wanna risk losing you...** "  
Amethyst gave him a quick hug. " **That can be plan... R, okay?** "

Quietly, the two kids waited as she filled the bottles up. They each drained the first refill quickly, and Amethyst sighed as she refilled them again.  
As Connie waited, she started to explore the room slightly. Curiously, she approached the door, running her fingers over the writing seemingly carved into it. " **I wonder what's in here...** " she mused.  
Glancing back at Steven holding his mouth under the tap, she shrugged. Tapping the pad, she watched the door slide open and a thick cold mist poured out of it. As it cleared, she gave a bloodcurdling scream.


	11. Waiting

As Amethyst and Steven ran to Connie, she stumbled back, her hands over her mouth.  
" **Connie! What's wrong?!** "  
Amethyst suddenly saw what was beyond the door. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Steven and tossed him towards the outer door, picking Connie up and turning her away from the sight. Reaching out, she slapped her hand against the pad, closing the door, before she rushed the girl out of the room. " **Steven, take her for a moment.** " she ordered, turning back into the room to collect the two water bottles.  
" **Connie?** " Steven asked nervously, his voice small as he reached out to the shaking girl.  
Amethyst came back out, closing the door behind her. " **Holy sh- smokes. Holy smokes.** " She leaned against the door. " **That's fu- messed up.** "  
" **Amethyst, what's going on?** "  
Connie gave a shudder. " **That was horrible...** " she whispered, her voice small.  
Amethyst nodded and gave her a hug. " **Yeah, pretty freaking messed up. When Pearl snaps outta it, I'm asking her about this crazy place.** "

As they neared the door, Steven paused. " **Guys, what happened down there?** "  
Amethyst and Connie looked at each other. " **Um... There was a room, with jars of frozen... things. It looked like... human... organs...** " Amethyst trailed off with a shudder. " **And... something that... might have been some** ** _one_** **...** "  
Steven's eyes widened. " **But... Why would Pearl come here? Does she know about this?** "  
As they entered the room, he froze, staring at the pink diamond emblazoned on the wall. " **Did- did** ** _mum_** **know about this place?!** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **No idea. But, if this place is** ** _this_** **filthy right after the Corruption, it must have been abandoned a long time ago. Maybe... Maybe this place is from before they decided to protect the Earth?** "  
Connie glanced down at Pearl. " **Well, she's not gonna tell us anytime soon. Has she even blinked since we got here?** "  
Amethyst knelt down and pressed Pearl's eyelids close. Lifting her fingers, they stayed down. " **Huh. Well, maybe she's asleep? With her eyes open? I dunno, Pearl's kinda weird sometimes...** " Giving a shrug, she looked around. " **Hang on guys**."  
Shapeshifting, she turned into a broom and started moving around, pushing the thick carpet of dust away towards the far wall. Finally, she changed back with a sigh. " **Okay, that should make it a bit more bearable.** "  
Steven shook his head. " **Man, Pearl's lying in dust, Amethyst is cleaning... This is all backwards...** "

As Steven and Connie started to get settled, they each took a spot on the floor, yawning.  
Leaning against the wall, Amethyst reach out and carefully took Pearl's hand.  
Connie glanced over, and raised an eyebrow, curious, but stayed silent.  
Suddenly, Steven got on his knees and crawled over, lying down in front of Pearl. Reaching back, he pulled her arms around him and closed his eyes. " **Goodnight, Pearl.** " he whispered.  
Amethyst sighed. Releasing Pearl's other hand, she stepped over Pearl before lying behind her and slipping an arm beneath her so that Steven's head was resting on it as a makeshift pillow. " **Goodnight, weirdos.** " she grinned, nuzzling her face into the back of Pearl's neck.  
Connie watched as Steven's breathing slowed down, his chest rising and falling slowly. Figuring him to be asleep, she nervously crawled over in front of him.  
Amethyst cracked her eyes open as Connie lay down in front of Steven, pulling his arm over her with a blush. Amethyst smiled faintly. ' _Too cute for words..._ '

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The next morning, Amethyst woke first. Yawning a little, she carefully shapeshifted in order to free her arm and stretched. Glancing down, she smiled.  
Pearl's arm was draped over Steven, who had both arms wrapped around Connie. Her left hand was interlocked with his right.  
Amethyst gave the quietest chuckle she could manage. Stepping over the trio, she knelt down and gently brushed the hair from Connie's face. " **Hey, Connie... Wake up...** "  
Connie moaned slightly, her eyes squeezing shut. " **No school today, mother...** "  
Amethyst rolled her eyes. " **School is cancelled for the next... five thousand years. Come on, or I'll tease you about this that entire time.** "  
Connie sleepily opened one eye. " **Tease 'bout wha?** " she whispered.  
Amethyst pointed behind her, and Connie turned her head slightly.  
" **Oh.** " her eyes snapped opened as her face flushed.

Carefully, Amethyst helped Connie free herself from Steven's bear hug. Sighing, she stepped back, her face dark. " **Geez... Please don't tell my parents...** "  
" **What? That you were spooning with Steven? Nah.** " Amethyst grinned as Connie buried her face in her hands.  
" **Amethyst...** " she groaned softly.  
The purple gem threw an arm around the girl's shoulder. " **Relax. That can be our little secret. That I'll tease you about once you two are married.** "  
Connie moved her hands only to glare. " **If I had Rose's sword right now...** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **Killing the only witness won't save you. I'll just regenerate, and tell them in revenge. Now, chill, 'kay? I won't tell anybody. Like I said: our little secret.** " she held out a hand, and Connie took it with a shake.  
" **Thanks...** "

Steven moaned slightly and shifted. " **Mor-morning...** " he yawned, half sitting up. Pearl's arm flopped beside her, and Steven reached over and stretched it out beside the other one.  
Amethyst winked at Connie. " **Morning. You two need to go downstairs?** "  
Steven glanced down. " **Yes. Yes, I do.** "  
" **Come on then.** "

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 ** _Six days later..._**

As they played tic-tac-toe in the dust, they heard a small noise, and turned to look.  
Groaning, Pearl sat up. " **Okay, that was a ride...** "  
" **Pearl!** " Steven half-ran, half-crawled over, wrapping his arms around her with a sob. " **You're back!** "  
Pearl glanced down at him, her blue eyes filled with confusion. " **Was I gone?** "  
Amethyst joined the hug. " **You weren't here, that's for damned sure...** "  
Pearl glanced up as Connie approached. " **What are they...** "  
" **You were pretty much catatonic. I guess living through the Corruption a second time was too much for anybody to handle...** "  
Pearl's eyes widened. " **Oh. That happened. Again...** " she trailed off. As they looked at her, concerned, she shook her head suddenly. " **I've shoved those memories deep down inside where they belong. I'm fine now.** "  
Connie raised an eyebrow as she leaned against the wall. " **Pearl. That's not healthy. You do know that, right?** "  
Pearl shrugged, her arms going around Steven and Amethyst. " **Yes, I'm aware. But, it works for me. It's how pearls usually deal with intense trauma, anyway. Besides...** " she rolled her eyes. " **I doubt there's anyone on the planet qualified to deal with the sheer amount of traumatic memories I'm carrying.** " she frowned sadly. " **I've had an incredibly long and** ** _very_** **terrible life, kid.** "

Amethyst moved slightly. " **Pearl?** "  
She glanced over with a blush. " **Yes, Amethyst?** "  
" **What the hell is this freaky-ass place?!** "  
Pearl looked around. " **Err...** " As her eyes took in the diamond on the wall and the dust coated desk, it clicked. " **Oh! This was a biological research station. It was abandoned at the same time as the war started.** " she hummed.  
" **Biological research?** " Connie asked. " **So, Gems experimented on humans here?** "  
Pearl glanced at her. " **Well, no, not in horrible ways, anyway. It was mostly trying to figure out how to keep humans alive for longer than a week. The knowledge gained here went towards the human Zoo.** "  
Steven sighed. " **So, mum did know about this place...** "  
Pearl looked at him. " **Steven, people weren't hurt here. Actually, they were helped. There were many life-saving surgeries performed downstairs, and she healed heaps of broken bones. And what was learned is still keeping the humans at the Zoo alive today.** "

Connie looked down at the group. " **So, the room of frozen organs downstairs...** "  
Pearl blushed slightly. " **Faulty. Removed to save their owner. Well, mostly. Some were of course collected via autopsies, mainly to determine what went wrong, or what a healthy organ looked like... Research.** " she shrugged.  
" **And you were involved in this?** " Amethyst looked at her.  
Pearl shrugged as she shook her head. " **Pink didn't really trust anyone else to do it. Another Gem would have violently destroyed entire settlements to grab just a couple of humans, brought them here against their will and experimented on them. She knew that I'd at least only bring volunteers, and return them to their group when the study was completed. I was most definitely the lesser of the two evils.** "

" **Why are there lasers outside? They almost toasted you!** " Amethyst murmured.  
Pearl groaned. " **Ah. Right. The security system. I turned it on when we abandoned this place, so Homeworld couldn't get a hold of anything and use it to hurt humans. I'm... going to assume that Steven's shield was involved in my still being here. Thank you.** " She gave him a light squeeze.  
" **Connie helped. We were Stevonnie.** "  
Pearl smiled up at Connie. " **Thank you too.** "  
" **We still have questions about this place.** " Connie asked.  
Pearl shrugged. " **Well, sit down, and I'll try to explain.** "

Connie sat cross-legged, leaning against the nearby wall. " **Okay, why does that room look like it's for autopsies?** "  
Pearl sighed. " **Well, that is what it was designed for. Well, that and dissections. But it was most used for operations. Removing tumours and such.** "  
" **Why are there prison cells in the basement, if humans volunteered to come here?** " Amethyst asked.  
Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Because, this place was built to Homeworld's usual plan for a biological research station. Usually, all subjects are unwilling ones. I assure you, those cells were only used to shelter any humans temporarily. They were never locked inside. Well, except in that one case, where a few individuals needed to be quarantined. Smallpox.** " she added by way of explanation. " **Most of them died, but the rest of the tribe survived because of the forced separation.** "  
Connie quickly jumped in again. " **Why are these warp pads a different colour than the others? And how come they still work when the others, like the one outside, stopped working and turned grey?** "  
" **Oh, they're on a different frequency to the main warp system. They allow travel between floors, and even different buildings within the same compound. So, for example, getting into one building with say... green warps, can give you access to all green warps on that particular colony. Which, the last time I checked, were generally the higher-level buildings, but not quite high enough to be reporting directly to any of the Diamonds.** " she shrugged. " **This one is pink, so the occupants of this building only had to answer to Pink Diamond herself.** "  
Steven was next. " **Pearl... why did you lead us here?** "  
Pearl stared at him. " **Oh. Uh... Well, for starters, it's the nearest familiar place for me. And as the warp system was temporarily disrupted by the Corruption, there weren't many other places to go...** " she sighed sadly. " **Plus, despite my obvious mental distress, I was coherent enough to remember that we need to be here. This is actually the location of the next ripple.** "

As they stared incredulously at her, Pearl flushed.  
" **Seriously?!** " Amethyst groaned.  
" **Well, yes. Ah... I need to ask, mainly because I have no idea, but... How long was I out for?** "  
Connie thought for a moment. " **Um... I think, maybe... twelve days? Including today, and the day of the Corruption.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Okay, good, we haven't missed it. We still have a few days before the ripple. Four, maybe five?** " Looking at them, she finally took in their ragged appearance. " **Uhh... When was the last time you two ate?** "  
" **I got them some fruit on the way here... But that was...** " Amethyst paused to count on her fingers. " **... maybe ten days ago?** "  
Pearl's eyes widened. " **Oh my stars... I am so sorry.** " Pushing Steven and Amethyst away, she quickly rose and stood in the room proper. Summoning a small folding table, she set it up and began pulling items out of her head in a blur. Their mouths started watering at the sight of the loaf of bread, the roll of chicken luncheon meat, the packet of cheese and the tomatoes, which were swiftly and deftly sliced.  
Amazed, they watched as she quickly assembled a pile of sandwiches, separating them equally onto two plates.  
Finally, she put the butter knife down and tossed the empty bread bag and various wrappers to Amethyst, who gulped it down. " **Okay.** " Pearl nodded. Summoning two small chairs, she set them down beside the table. " **Dig in.** " she ordered, returning the leftover items to her gem.

Steven and Connie jumped into the chairs and started gulping the food down.  
" **What about water? Have you drunk anything?** " Pearl asked, hovering nearby anxiously.  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. I filled two water bottles at the tap downstairs in the murder room. And I've popped in to refill them whenever these two needed to use the toilets in the cells.** "  
Pearl glanced at her. " **No-one was ever killed there, Amethyst.** " she huffed. " **But... Thank you. That really is the only reliable water source around here. And those are honestly the closet things to toilets as well. I'm glad that you looked after them while I was... incapacitated.** " she reached out and pulled the smaller gem into a hug.  
Amethyst tensed slightly, then melted into it, wrapping her arms around Pearl with a blush. " **I'm glad you're back...** " she whispered.

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 ** _Five days later..._**

As they waited on the roof, enjoying the light breeze, the detector beeped. " **Okay, here it goes.** " Pearl muttered, standing and looking around as the hologram formed. " **There.** " she pointed at the shimmering spot just behind the stairwell. " **Let's get out of here.** " she muttered as they started running towards it.

 **South America, unknown time:**

As they fell out of the ripple, they brushed themselves off and stared around. " **Uh... did we even go anywhere?** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. We're just here in a different time. My other self didn't actually know what time period exactly, only that it was sometime after the war. She suspected it was maybe a thousand years later... However, the next ripple is in less than half an hour, so we really won't be here long enough to find out.** "  
Quickly warping down through the building, they took cover under Steven's shield as they crossed the courtyard. Reaching the warp pad they had passed two weeks previously, they noted its familiar blue glow before they warped.

Almost as quickly as they had arrived, the detector beeped again, and they quickly looked in all directions for the ripple, running for it as soon it was sighted.


	12. Weary

**Beach City, Present day:**

The door open, and Priyanka walked in, clearly tired from a long shift at the hospital. " **Any word?** "  
Greg shook his head. " **No, nothing yet.** "  
Priyanka sighed and dropped her bag on the floor, slumping heavily onto the nearby couch beside Doug. " **I can't believe it's been three weeks...** " she muttered.  
On the other end of the couch, Bismuth sat with Ruby and Sapphire in her lap. " **Back during the war, Pearl was captured by Homeworld. It took her a couple of decades to get back, and she never really spoke about it, but she made it. Even if she needs to store them in her gem for a few thousand years, she'll get them home, don't worry.** "  
Ruby nodded. " **Yeah. They could just... walk in, or warp in, at any time. We just... we have to wait... Which is the worse part...** " she clenched her hands, shaking with emotion.  
Sapphire gathered Ruby's hands into her own. " **But, Gems are very patient beings. If they did decide to just wait it out, Pearl would have to wait until she could be sure that they were no longer here, to avoid meeting themselves.** "

In the hallway outside the bathroom, Lapis and Peridot glanced at each other.  
Lapis sighed. " **I'm... not sure time even passes in there. It was a... strange place.** " she whispered.  
Peridot gently placed a hand on the blue gem's shoulder, aware that her time in the mirror was a touchy subject for Lapis.

Greg came over with a cup in each hand. " **Tea?** " he asked, holding out the cups.  
Priyanka and Doug looked up at him and smiled. " **Thank you, Greg.** "  
" **Yeah, thanks Greg.** " Doug gratefully took one of the cups, sipping at it with a sigh.  
Greg returned to the kitchenette to collect another cup and settled onto the couch between the gems and the Maheswarans.  
Bismuth sighed. " **The annoying thing is... Pearl's the smart one. She'd know the most about how this whole time travel thing worked, and she can't even be here to explain it to us...** "

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 **Japan, 10ad:**

As the group landed, they shivered slightly at the cooler climate compared to the rainforest.  
Pearl stood and looked around. " **Hmm... Yes, we have a few hours. Come on.** "  
With a curious glance, Amethyst, Steven and Connie picked themselves up and followed her.

Pearl glanced around the base of the ridge in the foothills and smiled. " **Okay, I'll need to set up some sort of privacy screen, but...** "  
As they followed her around the ridge, the kids gasped. " **A hot spring?!** "  
Connie threw a fist into the air. " **God, yes! I need a wash so bad...** "  
Steven grinned, and started to shimmy out of his shirt as Connie quickly blushed and covered her eyes. " **Last one in is...** "  
" **Steven.** " Pearl held out a hand. " **Wait until I'm done with the screen**." she rolled her eyes.  
" **Oh... Okay.** " he shrugged as he pulled the hem of his shirt back down.

" **There.** " Pearl stepped back and admired her handywork. She had removed a few sheets of corrugated metal from her gem, along with multiple spears and some rope. Tying the metal to the spears, with occasional use of some nearby vines, she had created a rough, but functional privacy screen. " **Okay. Amethyst, help me get this into position.** "  
Together, they manage to lower the sections into the water, cutting the small pool into two, securing them to the shore with two of Amethyst's whips.  
" **Okay... That should do it.** " Pearl nodded. Pausing, she took two clean towels from her gem. " **Right. Each of you pick a side. Get undressed in the bushes, then hop in.** " she briefly eyed the various rips in their clothing as they grabbed for the towels. " **I'll make some quick repairs while you get cleaned up.** " she added, taking out a small sewing box.

As Pearl settled down with her back to the water, Amethyst sat on a rock nearby. As Pearl deftly prepared a needle with some thread and started stitching, Amethyst sighed.  
" **Hey, Pearl?** " she said softly, mindful of the fact that voices echo over water.  
Pearl glanced up slightly. " **Yes?** "  
Amethyst nervously scratched the back of her neck. " **Uh... Just... Maybe we should... talk...** "  
Pearl blushed faintly. " **Some other time... When the kids aren't around... Okay?** "  
" **Woo! Hothothot!** " Steven hissed after he dove in.  
Connie was already in. " **I know, isn't it great?!** " she sighed happily.  
Amethyst glanced quickly at the spring. " **Uh... yeah, okay. Later...** " she murmured.  
Pearl looked up at her and sighed. " **It's just... There's only a couple of ripples left. And the last one has a long wait... We can... we can talk about... that situation... at that point...** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **Oh. Okay. That... that makes sense.** "

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 ** _An hour later..._**

Pearl shook out the clothes with a smile. " **There, done.** " A cloud of dust was left hanging in the air, and she frowned slightly. " **Well, not much can be done about that, sadly...** "  
" **Yeah, the kids will turn into prunes if they're in there much longer.** " Amethyst chuckled loudly.  
Steven glanced at his now winkled hands. " **Oh no, the pruniness. It'll destroy us all!** "  
" **It's already got me, save yourselves!** " Connie laughed playfully.  
Pearl giggled softly as she folded the clothes and walked towards the water. " **Okay, I'll put these in the bushes. You've both probably been in there long enough. The next ripple will be soon, we can't afford to miss it, and we still need to walk back to the warp pad, so come on. Amethyst, put these over there, please.** " She added, handing Stevens clothes over.  
Amethyst and Pearl returned to their spots and waited as the kids got dressed. She quickly bundled the wet towels into a bag and stored that away, ushering them back towards the warp pad.

 **Africa, 3000 years ago:**

The rush of sand flying through the air took them by surprise. Quickly, Pearl threw her hands up and created a clear space around them, the sand kept at bay only by her powers.  
" **Great, we just got clean too...** " Connie grumbled, shaking the sand from her hair.  
Steven sighed and ruffled his hair up violently, shaking loose a puff of sand and dust as he blinked furiously. " **Figures...** "  
Amethyst shook herself like a dog. " **Ugh... I know, right?** " she glanced up at Pearl, who seemed to be struggling. " **Hey... you okay there?** "  
Pearl grunted. " **It's... difficult... There's a... lot of sand... I'm just... one pearl... limited... control...** " she panted slightly. " **Warp pad... I'll try... clear path...** "  
With obvious effort from the thin gem, they saw the sand behind them swirl away. With a grunt, a gust of wind seemed to sweep across the ground, revealing the warp pad.  
" **Get on...** " Pearl breathed, stepping back slowly and carefully.  
As they all rushed onto the warp pad, they waited nervously for Pearl.  
" **Amethyst... warp... Kindergarten...** "

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As the warp light faded, Pearl fell to her knees with a sigh. Amethyst quickly scurried to check on her.  
" **I'm fine... That was exhausting...** " Pearl muttered, giving a tired thumbs up to the worried kids.  
Connie looked around, taking in the deep dark canyon, the large strange machines and the human-shaped holes on the walls. " **Uhh... What is this place? And when?** " she asked nervously.  
Steven glanced around. " **Oh. It's the Kindergarten.** " he shrugged. " **I dunno when...** "  
" **It's about three thousand years ago, roughly. A small chance that a past version of Amethyst will be here, but the other... us... didn't encounter her.** " Pearl added as she began to massage her gem lightly.  
Connie raised an eyebrow. " **Kindergarten? I'm... guessing that means something else to you guys than it does to me...** "  
Amethyst glanced at the girl. " **Hey, Pearl?** "  
The thin Gems hands paused. " **Hmm?** "  
" **Can I tell her?** " Amethyst grinned.  
Pearl glanced at her. With a smile, she waved a hand. " **Oh, if you must. She'll probably need to know eventually anyway..."**  
 **"Yes! You gonna be okay here?** " the purple gem paused, one hand on Pearl's shoulder.  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. I just need to sit for a while. Go. Have fun. Don't traumatise her.** "  
Amethyst grinned and jumped up. " **Come on. School is in session.** "

As Amethyst jumped down to the canyon floor, Steven floated down with Connie.  
Pearl sighed and half-crawled over to the edge of the warp pad, laying down with her hands folded on top of her midsection.  
" **Right.** " Amethyst clapped her hands. " **This is the Kindergarten. It's where gems are made, basically.** "  
Connie gasped. " **Wha? Really?** " she looked around with new curiosity.  
Amethyst pointed at one of the large machines clinging onto the wall. " **Those things have got some goop inside 'em. They ran up and down the walls, drilling into the ground and squirting the goop into the holes, sealing it up after. The goop hardened, and turned into a Gem. After a few hundred years, pop!** " she made a noise and waved her hands. " **The Gem glowed and took form, bursting outta the ground like a zit.** "  
Connie watched as the purple Gem paused to the side of a small hole at ground level.  
She pointed up at the holes above them. " **All these holes were amethysts. My Famethyst.** " Pointing to the large one above them, she added. " **That one was 8XL, she's at the Zoo.** " Lowering her hand to the smallest one, she posed. " **This one's mine. 8XM.** " Amethyst said proudly. " **It's me sized!** " she grinned.

Connie watched in amazement as Amethyst stepped in front of the hole. Then, without moving her feet, she slid backwards, finally settling in the back of the small tunnel with a sighed. " **Ahh... Hole sweet hole.** " she murmured. " **It's almost like being home again...** "  
Connie shook her head in wonder. " **I have so many questions...** "  
Steven nodded. " **Yeah, there's some things I don't understand either...** "  
Amethyst stood and slid back out with a grin. " **Well, ask me then.** "  
With a glance at each other, Connie nodded. " **Okay. Why did Pink put it here?** "  
" **And how long did it take for Gems to start emerging?** "  
" **Are all Gems – apart from pearls – made in Kindergartens, or just some?** "  
" **Was mum made in one?** "  
Amethyst's face fell. " **Geez... I dunno about any of that. It all happened before I emerged... uhhh... Pearl might know? She was around when Pinky started this place, right?** "

Amethyst jumped back up to the warp pad with Connie clinging onto her back. Steven jumped up next to them. " **Hey, Pearl? We have questions...** "  
Pearl sat up and looked at them. " **Oh? Okay.** "  
Connie sat beside her. " **Why did Pink Diamond put this here? Instead of, I dunno... some other part of the world...** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Well, the fact that there was already a large canyon here played a major part in the decision. That saved a few decades of work, terraforming to dig out a good spot. Plus, the sheer amount of excellent materials in this location. Honestly, the ground here is** ** _full_** **of silica, which is essential for the production of quality quartz Gems.** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **Like me!** "  
Pearl smiled fondly. " **Yes, like amethysts.** " she pointed at the walls around them. " **Actually, because of a vein of iron running through this part of the canyon, almost all of the holes in this section produced amethysts.** "

Amethyst's jaw dropped. " **Whoa... That's a lot of me's...** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. A whole... mess, shall we say, of amethysts.** " she smirked.  
" **Oh, haha...** " Amethyst rolled her eyes, grinning.  
Steven raised his hand. " **Pearl? How long did it take for Gems to start emerging?** "  
Pearl smiled. " **Well, the amethysts started running around after maybe... a thousand years? Other gems, in different sections, took longer of course. And on the other end of the scale, there's a section for rubies deeper into the canyon. They started emerging after only around... five hundred years of growth. If memory serves, which it usually does.** "  
Steven gasped. " **Hey, was Ruby made here? Our Ruby, I mean?** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **Oh,** ** _stars_** **no. She didn't come to Earth until a few hundred years after the rebellion had started.** "

" **I have another question...** " Connie raised her hand.  
Pearl turned slightly to face her. " **Yes?** "  
Connie dropped her hand. " **Well, are all Gems made in these places, apart from pearls of course, or just most?** "  
Pearl smiled. " **Good question. Most Gems are produced in Kindergartens. There are some exceptions, one being pearls like myself. Ambers, for example, have a completely different process that can't be produced under Kindergarten conditions. As do jets, aragonites, and a few have more... complicated processes...** "

" **I have one more question.** " Steven tapped Pearl's shoulder.  
" **Yes?** "  
He nervously lifted his shirt. " **Was mu-** " he sighed. " **-Pink Diamond, made in a Kindergarten?** "  
Pearl laughed. " **Oh, hell if I know. Probably...** " she shrugged.  
The others glanced at each other. " **What do you mean?** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **The thing is... The Diamonds are supposed to be these... almost mythical beings. Completely above and unlike another Gems. They're... just supposed to have always existed. And anyone who says otherwise is considered a traitor.** " she huffed, crossing her arms. " **Completely ridiculous, of course. Things just don't spontaneously burst into existence. Even the universe itself came from something.** "  
Amethyst tilted her head. " **So, Pink Diamond...?** "  
" **Probably came from a Kindergarten. Maybe. But it's literally against the law on Homeworld to question the origins of a Diamond, so...** " she huffed. " **Officially, she just... appeared. Perfectly formed and better than any other Gem. Not counting the other three Diamonds, of course.** " she rolled her eyes as she uncrossed her arms and leaned back on them. " **Personally, I thought Pink was just a massively overgrown toddler with no common sense or reasoning skills... but that's just a pearl's opinion.** " she added with a smirk to their giggled delight.

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 ** _The next afternoon..._**

" **Okay... the next ripple will be here soon.** " Pearl gathered up and store all their supplies. " **I was warned that we will need to get some height for this one, so...** " She looked at the other three. " **Right. Steven and Amethyst, you two can easily jump up to... that hole there should be high enough.** " she pointed up above them. They followed her finger to a hole in the second row from the top and nodded.  
" **Yeah, I can do that.** " Steven confirmed.  
Pearl nodded. " **Good. Connie, you'll need to hop on my back. We don't have much time, so you two go on up ahead of us.** "  
As Connie nervously climbed onto Pearl's back, Amethyst laughed and ran towards the sheer wall, clinging on and scampering up with giggles. " **Race ya!** "  
Steven laughed and took a running jump, leaping up as high as he could before grabbing onto the bottom edge of a hole. As he pulled himself in and prepared to jump again, Amethyst climbed past him. " **Hey! Wait up!** " Steven called, springing out and up, legs kicking as he steered himself back towards the hole above.

Connie watched in amazement as the two reached the second row and waited. " **Whoa...** " she whispered.  
Pearl shook her head. " **Those adorable little dorks...** " she muttered fondly. " **Hold tight, Connie.** " she sighed as she calculated the jump.  
Suddenly, Pearl dashed forwards. Coiling her legs beneath her, she sprang almost straight up, eyes on the second row where the two Gems watched wide-eyed.  
Connie's eyes widened and she tightened her hold on Pearl slightly.  
Pearl reached the height of her jump just slightly above the second row, the arc of her fall allowing her to drop gently just inside the entrance. Standing to her full height, she smirked smugly at the shocked faces of Steven and Amethyst.  
" **That. was. so cool.** " Connie muttered into Pearl's shoulder as the Gem stepped forwards.  
" **The coolest.** " Steven nodded in agreement, his eyes sparkling.  
Amethyst blushed and turned her face away slightly. " **Show off...** " she huffed slightly.  
Pearl grinned as she let Connie slide down. " **If you got it, flaunt it.** " she bowed gracefully with a laugh.

Straightening up, she leaned against the wall of the hole. " **Anyway, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, this will be our second-last ripple. After this last wait... we'll be home.** "  
Steven grinned. " **Really?!** "  
Pearl nodded with a smile. " **Really.** "  
Connie cheered. " **Yes! That's amazing news!** "  
" **We're going home! We're going home!** " Steven started dancing goofily. After a moment, Connie joined him with a laugh.  
Pearl shook her head in amusement as Amethyst joined them. " **We're going home!** "  
" **Calm down, I haven't told you the bad news yet...** " Pearl sighed. " **This last wait will be a long one. Several weeks, actually.** "  
The three stopped dancing and stared at her. " **Wait, what?!** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. We'll have to wait a fairly long time for the next ripple to appear. Possibly... another three to four weeks, at least...** " she added sadly.  
" **Oh no...** " Connie sighed.  
Pearl looked around at their disappointed faces. " **I guess I should have started with the bad news first, huh? I'm sorry...** "

A few minutes later, the shimmering ripple appeared high above the Kindergarten floor. Quickly, Pearl grabbed Connie and with a nod towards Steven and Amethyst, they leapt towards it. Pearl made it easily, and disappeared with Connie, but Amethyst started to fall too soon.  
Kicking his legs furiously, Steven managed to float long enough to grab Amethyst's long hair that was trailing behind her and pulled her towards the ripple, both disappearing into it seconds before it vanished from sight.


	13. Legging It

**Kindergarten, around 16000 years ago:**

As Pearl and Connie came out of the ripple, they tumbled towards the canyon floor. Above them, Amethyst and Steven appeared, Steven's hands tangled in Amethyst's hair, both hurtling towards them with no control.  
As the group crashed to the floor in a jumbled messed, there was a loud crunching sound. Groaning, they lay there for a moment.  
Finally, Steven sat up. Untwisting his hand from Amethyst's hair, he stood on wobbling legs. " **Is... is everyone okay?** "  
Amethyst sat up. " **Yeah. Thanks for pulling me through, dude.** " Reaching out, she pulled him into a hug. " **I would have been stranded...** " she whispered.  
Steven hugged her back. " **Sorry if that hurt though. Your hair was the only thing I could reach...** "  
" **Don't worry about it, Ste-man.** " Amethyst gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
Connie groaned and rolled away from Pearl. " **That landing could have been better…** " she muttered.  
Steven quickly went to check on her. " **Are you hurt?!** "  
Connie looked herself over. " **Um... No. I'm fine.** "  
With a shake of her head, Pearl sat up. " **Not my best landing, no. Maybe a seven out of ten...** " she grunted as she stood up, swaying slightly.  
As they looked at her with horror, she looked around, instinctively reaching up towards her gem, finding it undamaged. " **What? What's wrong?** "  
Looking down at herself, her eyes widened at the sight of her right leg, which was twisted inwards and glitching in and out of existence. " **Oh. Maybe that should be a two instead...** "

" **Pearl! Your leg's broken!** " Steven cried as Amethyst quickly rushed over to offer Pearl some support.  
Pearl shrugged. " **Eh, I've had much worse, believe me...** " she poked it with a finger briefly as it finally seemed to settle on solid. " **I'm fine, let's go.** "  
With obvious effort, she started to limp past them. She didn't get more than two steps before she felt herself being picked up. " **Wha?!** " Looking down, she found herself sitting on Amethyst shoulders.  
" **You crazy, stubborn, bloody..."** the purple Gem trailed off, muttering under her breath.  
Steven ran over. " **Pearl, let me heal you!** " he raised his hand to his mouth, but Pearl gently grabbed it.  
" **No. Steven... No. You know how I am about bodily fluids...** " she shuddered with disgust.  
" **But, you're hurt...** "  
Pearl shrugged. " **Yes. But I've had worse, and I've healed from worse without anyone's help. This will be fine by... tomorrow. I'm a pearl. We're** ** _experts_** **at ignoring pain. Honestly, I don't even feel it.** " she poked it again, finally hitting it with a loud slap. " **Hmm... Nope, not a thing.** " she shrugged before she looked back at him. " **Trust me, Steven, I'm perfectly fine. This is just... a momentary setback. Inevitable when you're used as a landing pad for three members of the Shorty Squad. And it was better that I get hurt than any of you, because I honestly don't care about my own personal pain, and can repair it quickly. My gem is intact, so I am fine.** " she huffed. " **Now, can we** ** _please_** **start moving. We may have several weeks before the next ripple, yes, but we don't know how long it'll take to reach the next location on foot.** "

" **Wait? What do you mean, on foot?** " Amethyst glanced up from between Pearl's legs.  
Realising their position, they both blushed.  
Pearl pointed towards the canyon walls. " **Notice that the holes are all gone?** "  
Looking around, they gasped at the bare walls. " **Hey... what happened?** "  
Pearl nodded towards the location of the warp pad. " **Steven, pop up and check the warp, okay?** "  
Steven nodded and jumped up. A second later, they heard his yell. " **Hey! It's gone!** "  
Pearl waited until he had jumped back down. " **That particular warp pad was one of the first put in, right after the Galaxy Warp was installed. So, we must have gone back to before Pink and I came to Earth, possibly even before Earth was chosen as the site of her first colony. The other me thought that it could even possibly be before any of us existed, as entropic cascade failure wasn't an issue despite the long delay.** "  
Amethyst glanced up. " **So, no warps mean we're walking to the next place? Where's that?** "  
Pearl glanced down. " **Actually, it's the future location of the Temple. So, we're going to prehistoric Beach City. We're almost home.** "

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As they rounded a bend in the canyon, they paused with horror. Ahead of them was a massive dark brown bear.  
" **Oh, hell no...** " Amethyst whispered, tightening her grip on Pearl's thighs in case they had to run.  
The mega-bear spotted them and turned about, standing up to its full height of almost four metres.  
Steven grabbed Connie's hand as the pink bubble formed around them.  
Amethyst side-stepped it, as Pearl reached to her gem, the light of a spear already appearing.  
Glancing up, Amethyst started glowing.  
Pearl dropped her hand, her spear sucking back in as Amethyst shifted and grew beneath her. Finally, she found herself sitting on the shoulders of a giant bear.  
Standing, the purple behemoth towered over the wild bear. Amethyst gave a toothy grin and roared, the sound echoing along the canyon walls and reverberating back.  
The mega-bear dropped to all fours with a whine, turned and fled from the larger threat, its lumbering footfalls faintly heard under the rippling echoes of Amethyst's fierce display of strength.

Pearl smiled and patted behind Amethyst's furry ears fondly. " **That's my Amethyst.** " she whispered.  
Steven dropped the bubble, his face brimming with awe as Amethyst glowed and returned to her usual form, a blush evident on her face. " **That was amazing!** " the boy bounced around excitedly.  
Connie gaped. " **That was incredible. And that roar, holy smokes!** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **Aww, shucks, you guys...** " her blush deepened. " **Quit it...** "  
Pearl shook her head. " **Nope. We're never gonna let you forget this.** "  
" **Stooopppp...** " Amethyst moaned, a hand over her face.  
Steven giggled happily. " **Amethyst is the greatest shapeshifter in the world!** "  
Pearl nodded. " **I can agree with that. Pink** ** _may_** **have successfully pretended to be a quartz for six thousand years, but even her skills** ** _paled_** **compared to this little expert.** " she ruffled Amethyst's hair lightly.  
Amethyst sighed. " **Screw it. I'm gonna find that bear, and let him eat the lot of ya.** " she muttered as she started walking again, her face still burning from the praise.

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 ** _Sometime_** ** _later..._**

As the group reached the end of the canyon, they found themselves standing before a large open plain. No longer protected by the canyon walls, a sudden cold wind blew over them, causing the young teens to shiver.  
" **Man, that's cold...** " Connie shivered, hugging herself.  
Pearl glanced around at the distant horizon. " **Well, no wonder...** " she muttered.  
At their looks, she pointed to the north. Filling the skyline, they saw large expenses of white, with sheer cliffs of blue.  
" **Glaciers.** " Pearl explained. " **We must be in Earth's last ice age... Definitely before the colonisation era.** "  
Steven rubbed his hands together. " **Pearl, can we have blankets?** "  
Pearl looked down at them. " **Oh! Uh, actually, it might be best if I put you both in my gem. That way, you can be warm, and you can avoid the long walk we have ahead of us.** "  
Connie nodded quickly. " **Yes please, ma'am.** "  
Pearl waited until they were standing in front of her before lifting them up one at a time into her gem in a flash of light.

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 **Steven & Connie's POV**:

Surface Pearl caught them as they reappeared in the bright white room.  
" **Hey, Pearl inside Pearl's pearl**!" Steven gave her a hug, which she quickly returned.  
" **Hello, Steven. Hello, Connie. You won't be staying here. It's not really... suited, for long term comfort.** " Releasing Steven, she turned to the wall of stored items, scrolling through briefly. Taking out the ancient game device, she placed it in Steven's hands.  
" **Oh. So, where are we going then?** " Connie asked as the manifestation of Pearl's consciousness handed her a box of books.  
" **It'd better not be your repressed war memories... or when you were sad about mum... or when you helped Pink fake her death... cause I've been to those places, and they weren't very comfortable either...** " Steven huffed.  
Surface Pearl blushed. " **Uh... no. To be fair, I did warn you that it was a mess in there. You insisted." she sighed. "Anyway, I'm sending you to one of the few layers in here that isn't horribly traumatised and messed up.** " she frowned. " **I... have issues.** " she shrugged. " **Anyway, hold onto that stuff. I'll send more supplies in behind you, food and whatnot.** "  
With another flash of light, they descended.

Once again, they were caught. As the new Pearl, who was wearing a pale yellow blouse and sky blue pants with pink flats, placed them on the floor, they looked around with shock.  
" **Hey... This looks like my house...** " Steven stared, confused.  
" **Well, I did want you to be comfortable this time. You might be here for a few weeks, after all...** " This Pearl stepped back, her arms out as a box of food appeared with a flash above her. Catching it, she turned and placed it on the counter. Reaching out again, she caught another box filled with water bottles.  
Connie looked around, her eyes settling on the pearl busying herself putting everything away for easy access. " **So... What part of Pearl's personality do you represent?** "  
Turning to grab a box of cereal, Pearl hummed. " **Hmm? Oh... I'm probably the part that enjoys looking after people. Cleaning, cooking, sewing, that kind of thing.** " she reached into the cupboard and drew out two mugs. Placing a spoon into each one, she crumbled some cookies into them before she started to pour some milk.  
Connie nodded. " **Ah. So, Pearl's inner motherly instincts then.** "  
Pearl blushed faintly. " **Gems... don't really have those, Connie. Honestly, we've been winging it for the last... almost fifteen years... Quite frankly, I'm surprised he's still alive, and reasonably well-adjusted.** " she shrugged.

She put the milk into the fridge and closed the door. Picking up the two mugs, she set them down on the coffee table. " **Milk and cookies?** "  
" **Yes please!** " Steven called, happily grabbing the nearest mug.  
" **Thank you.** " Connie took her mug with a smile.  
Pearl sat down on the couch nearby. " **Now, some ground rules about being in here. Firstly, even though this place is an exact replica of Steven's house, keep in mind that it's merely a replica.** " she pointed towards the bathroom door. " **So, even though there is a bathroom behind that door, it's only there because of my obsessive attention to detail. It is** ** _absolutely_** **non-functional. Therefore, if you need to use the facilities... tell me, so I can shove you out behind a bush somewhere.** " she waited for their nods of understanding, their mouths full, before continuing.  
" **Secondly, the kitchen taps also lack function. The only water in here is in those bottles I've set to chill in the fridge.** "  
Connie raised an eyebrow and wiped her mouth. " **So, you have electricity in here, but no water?** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. The electricity is basically my own natural power. Of course, all pearls have a small amount of water within their gems, leftover as part of the process from which we're made... but trust me, you wouldn't want to drink or wash with that...** " she frowned. " **It** ** _technically_** **counts as industrial waste...** "

" **Also, don't try to leave the actual confines of the house. Through that door...** " she pointed at the screen door leading to the beach outside. " **... is nothingness. I... don't actually know what will happen if you step outside, you may even cease to exist... I'd rather not take that risk. So, as long as you stay in this facsimile of Steven's room, you should be safe and warm. I can let you out to use the bushes, and will let you out once we're safely back in our own time, and your parents are glaring at me to hand over their children.** " she rolled her eyes. " **Until then... I have books, the old game device, Surface can send some jigsaw puzzles down for us, and any other supplies we may find we need.** "


	14. Conversations

**_California, 2205ad:_**

As they closed the door on the two already sleeping kids, Future Pearl sighed. " **Okay.** " she whispered. " **How about we split up and talk to ourselves a little while. Just remember: If you break reality, I'll never talk to you again.** " she tapped Amethyst on the nose with a smile. " **And stay in sight of the room, just in case. I don't trust this place too much...** " she added as she glanced around the street with a glare.

Future Pearl settled herself down on the edge of the roof, looking down towards the motel. With a satisfied nod, she smiled. " **Okay, we can see them from here.** "  
Pearl sighed and sat down, keeping some distance between them.  
Future Pearl summoned a piece of paper. " **Here's the information, by the way. Times and locations of each ripple we used, along with how long we spent between each one just... waiting around, or barely missing them. You can avoid all of that frustration.** " she placed the paper between them, holding the corner with a fingertip.  
Pearl placed a finger on the other edge, and waited until the other had moved her hand before picking it up. " **Thank you. That was getting incredibly annoying...** "  
" **Believe me, I know...** "  
They fell silent as Pearl read through the list, committing it to memory before storing it away. After a brief moment, she spoke. " **I can't even imagine what could possibly have convinced me to start eating?** "  
The other Pearl shrugged. " **Amethyst.** "  
" **Amethyst?** "  
Future Pearl glance at her with a knowing smile. " **Yeah. We're actually a couple now.** "

Pearl stared wildly. " **What?!** " she squeaked, her voice high pitched with shock.  
" **Yeah. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier.** " she sighed. " **Amethyst is... sweet, and caring. Sure, she can be rough around the edges at times, an irritating little brat for sure, but... She knows full well how much Rose hurt me with her behaviour. She's actually sworn, point-blank, that she'll never treat me like that.** " she nodded.  
Pearl stammered. " **But...** "  
" **Listen. Rose treated you like dirt. We both know it. And you can't lie to yourself. Literally, in this case.** " she added with a wink. " **Giving Amethyst a chance was the best damned decision of my extremely long life, and these have been the best two hundred years I've ever had. And the sex is pretty incredible too.** " she added with a smirk.  
" **Oh my stars, please never say that again...** " Pearl groaned as she blushed deeply.  
Future Pearl laughed. " **Pfft, we both know you were curious.** " she grinned briefly before she sighed. " **Honestly...** " she shrugged. " **I haven't actually thought of Rose, or Pink for that matter, in decades. She's now merely... my ex, and Steven's weirdo mother.** " she reached up and summoned a small object, revealing it to be a purple tinted ring, which she slipped onto a finger with a smile. " **Also, Steven really is a hell of a wedding planner.** "

Pearl gaped. " **We're married?!** " she flushed bright blue.  
" **Eh, Steven was going crazy, dropping hints and leaving that scrapbook of his around... He at least had the decency to calm down a little, and give us some time to figure out what we wanted. It was only after his wedding- to Connie of course,** " she added with a grin. " **-that we finally decided to go through with it. Bismuth made the rings, obviously. She somehow managed to make mine purple, and Amethyst's pale blue.** " she rubbed the ring with a fond smile.  
Looking up, she shook her head at Pearl's confused and slightly panicked face. " **Just... Think about it, while you're waiting between ripples. Think about... What she actually means to you. What life would be like without her. How she's always been there for you. And well... think about her feelings. Because I know you don't realise it yet, but she's actually had a crush on you for a while now.** "  
Pearl stared, her jaw working soundlessly in shock.  
" **Yeah. She was pretty good at hiding it. That, and I am hopeless at taking a hint, apparently.** " she chuckled briefly then sighed. " **But... she was afraid of saying anything. She knew I was still crazy for Rose, was scared of rejection, and worried that I'd think she was only taking advantage of me in my heartbroken state... We wasted so much time being afraid. I could have been this happy a long time ago...** " she shook her head.

" **But, she's surprisingly patient. She'll give you time to think this over, and figure out what you really want. She knows this is a big decision, and won't pressure you for an answer. So please, think it over.** "  
Pearl looked back towards the motel. Distantly, she could see the two Amethysts sitting on the curb, one leaning forwards with her head in her hands. " **I-** " she sighed. " **I'll think about it. About...her. Or us...** "  
Future Pearl nodded. " **I know you will.** " she smiled. " **By the way, there's one more thing I should tell you. Don't worry, it's not as shocking. It's actually a very pleasant surprise.** "  
Pearl eyed her warily. " **Okay?** "  
" **Steven will get controls of his powers, and he'll even learn to control his aging and outward appearance, much like we do.** " she smiled. " **He's still alive.** "

Pearl gasped, her hand rising to her mouth. " **Oh my stars... That's wonderful!** "  
" **Yeah, it really is. He makes himself younger every few decades. Via Stevonnie, so Connie's still around, thankfully. Never younger than twenty, though. To be fair, I doubt anyone would want to relieve puberty.** " she rolled her eyes. " **Of course, you will need to talk to your ones about the consequences of immortality. He is very sensitive, and losing his father almost caused him to both age himself to death, and de-age himself to oblivion... We were** ** _barely_** **able to keep him grounded enough to return to his proper age.** " she shuddered at the memory of how close she came to losing him. " **Once he gains control of this ability, and realises that they can basically live forever, you need to warn them to leave the Beach City area for at** ** _least_** **a few decades... So they can avoid being there when they outlive their own grandchildren. If he's not there, then he won't know when they go.** " she added sadly.  
Pearl nodded. " **Of course. I understand.** "  
" **Finally, there's one more thing. About the next location... There's something very special that you need to do there, for Steven...** "

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As the two Pearls walked towards a building on the other side of the street, the two Amethysts walked a short distance away, finally sitting down on the curb with a bit of space between them. They sat quietly for a while, each munching on a burger they'd gotten to go. Finally, they finished up, Amethyst eating the styrofoam box with a sigh. She was surprised when the other got up and took her box to a bin, dropping it in before returning.  
" **Uh... You don't eat styrofoam anymore?** "  
Future Amethyst chuckled. " **Nah, Pearl doesn't like it when I do that.** "  
Amethyst shrugged. " **Since when did that stop me? Or you? Or... what?** " she paused in confusion.  
" **Okay, first... Yeah, that's majorly confusing. But whatevs. Dude, I'm making out with Pearl, like every night. It's awesome!** " she sat back down with a manic grin.

Amethyst's eyes widened. " **Wait, what?! Seriously? How did that happen?!** "  
" **We just... talked. During this time trip thing, when Steven and Connie weren't around for a while. Pearl had to stick them in her gem for safety.** " she explained. " **Anyway, by the time we got home, we had talked about the whole thing... We got together not long after that.** "  
Amethyst glanced over at the two Pearls, who were now sitting on the building's roof, their legs dangling over the edge. " **Man, that'd be great... 'cause.. Well.. You know..**." she blushed.  
Future Amethyst chuckled. " **Yeah, I know. We're crazy about her. Just... tell her how you feel, man. I mean, mah Pearl's probably telling her right now, but...** " she shrugged.  
" **Oh no.** " Amethyst groaned, dropping her head to her hands. " **Nononoooo...** "

" **Hey, chill dude. Relax. It's** ** _Pearl_** **. She's gonna be so nervous and confused that she won't even say a word about it, especially around the kids. Not until you guys are alone, and she's got everything sorted out in her head. Hell, she probably won't actually believe it until she hears it from you.** " she shook her head. " **It's gonna be great though. We don't fight anymore, except some light flirty** **teasing. She's started trying food, of course, and she's even stopped nagging about my room. Although, I did let her clean it a while back...** "  
Amethyst lifted her head in shock. " **Huh?!** "  
" **Yeah, well... Let's face it: We live in a dump, dude. And she did a really good job of it too. She didn't throw out anything important, only the stuff that was totally garbage, like old food. She fixed a bunch of broken stuff, and made some pretty awesome stacks. Organised, perfectly symmetrical ones, of course.** " she rolled her eyes. " **And now I have heaps of room for more stuff.** "  
Amethyst watched as she reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a blue tinted ring.  
" **We're in love.** " Future Amethyst grinned back at her as she slipped it on.

" **Oh, by the way... Steven's still around.** "  
" **He is?!** "  
" **Yep. He figured out how to control that aging thing. He also figured out how to do it as Stevonnie, so yeah. Connie's at home with him. They're still mad about each other. Every day's a honeymoon for those two. They're almost as bad as Ruby and Sapphire...** " she smirked.  
Amethyst grinned. " **That's awesome! I really didn't wanna have to watch him grow old, and die and junk... Cause I love that little booger.** "  
" **I know, brah.** "  
They sat in silence for a little while.  
" **Plus, the fact that Rose can't come back and try to take Pearl is also a bonus.** "  
" **Eh, Pearl would slap her if she tried. She's finally realised how toxic their relationship was. She doesn't want her back anymore.** "  
" **Good.** "

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 _ **Around 16000 years ago:**_

As Amethyst trudged across the tundra-like landscape it began to lightly snow.  
Pearl, sitting on her shoulders, sighed. " **I- I suppose now is a good time to... talk. About our... situation...** "  
Amethyst glanced up briefly, a lightly blush across her cheek. " **Uhh... Yeah. Sure. Now's a good time.** "  
They continued in silence for a moment.  
" **Pearl?** "  
" **Hmm? Yes, Amethyst?** "  
" **... When people say they should talk, there's usually actual...you know,** ** _talking_** **, involved...** "  
Pearl blushed. " **I'm... still trying to think about what to say...** "

After a moment, Pearl sighed deeply. " **It's just... this whole thing took me by complete surprise. I-I had no idea that you...** " she trailed off.  
Amethyst sighed heavily. " **Yeah... You really don't know how to take a hint, huh?** "  
" **I didn't even know there** ** _were_** **hints!** " Pearl groaned.  
Amethyst shook her head. _"_ ** _Seriously?!_** **I've been flirting with ya for like,** ** _lifetimes_** **. There were** ** _humans_** **who picked up on it.** "  
Pearl flushed. " **Stars, I didn't...** ** _How_** **were you flirting? Because quartzes flirt like... well, quartzes. I- I'm not a quartz, you do understand that?** "  
Amethyst shrugged gently, as not to dislodge Pearl or her injured leg. " **I dunno... challenging you to wrestle, play-fights, and- Ah, geez. That's quartz-style flirting, isn't it?** "  
" **... Yes, yes it is.** " Pearl nodded.  
Amethyst groaned. " **No wonder ya didn't... I'm dumb...** " she stopped walking to cover her face with her hands. " **I shoulda just gotcha flowers or something...** " she muttered.  
Pearl sighed. " **I... probably wouldn't have realised that was flirting either...** " she blushed. " **Back during the rebellion, other Crystal Gems would come up randomly to talk to me. It was only after Bismuth pointed out** ** _why_** **that I realised they were flirting...** " she groaned lightly. " **I am** ** _really_** **terrible at picking up on these things...** "

Amethyst started trudging again, kicking small amounts of snow away in front of her.  
Pearl glanced down at her. " **Amethyst?** "  
" **Yo?** "  
Pearl blushed deeply. " **Do you really... feel that way... about me...?** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah... I'm crazy 'boutcha. But apparently, I** ** _suck_** **at flirting, and you can't take a hint...** " she suddenly started laughing. " **Oh stars, we are** **_terrible_** **at this!** "  
Pearl started chuckling. " **I know!** "  
They paused for a moment to recover, Pearl slipping down slightly as Amethyst's shoulders heaved.

With an amused sigh, Amethyst hitched Pearl up and continued walking. After a few minutes, she glanced up. " **Hey, Pearl?** "  
" **Yes, Amethyst?** " she leaned forwards slightly, her arms resting lightly on top of the smaller Gems head.  
" **It's just...** " Amethyst sighed. " **I've waited so long for you to know how I felt... and now ya do... but... I know ya still love Rose...** " she muttered sadly. " **I know fourteen years is barely anything for us, it's like she only left yesterday... I just... I want... a chance. To prove that... I could treat ya better than she ever did...** " she groaned. " **I swear, Pearl. I swear that I'd never fool around on ya like that. I don't** ** _want_** **anybody else! Just... just you...** "  
Pearl stared down at Amethyst, stunned, her mind whirling.  
Amethyst trudged forward, resolutely refusing to glance up, to risk seeing even a hint of rejection in Pearl's eyes.

After a few minutes, Pearl shook her head slowly. " **Ame?** "  
" **Yeah, P?** "  
Pearl reach down and gently stroked Amethyst's cheek. " **Okay.** "  
" **Huh?** "  
Pearl leaned forward and kissed Amethyst's forehead. " **Okay. I-I'll give you a chance.** "  
Amethyst stopped walking. " **Really?! You're serious?!** " she looked up into Pearl's face.  
Pearl wiped a few tears from her eyes. " **Yeah... But once we get home, okay? I do have two teenagers in my head right now, so getting too... wrapped up, in each other...** " she blushed. " **Would be more than a little awkward for everyone involved.** "  
Amethyst cracked a massive grin. " **YES!** "  
She hiked Pearl up higher and started jogging lightly.  
Pearl chuckled. " **Dork..**." she muttered fondly.  
" **Nerd.** " came that quick retort.

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 ** _The next day..._**

Pearl stood carefully, as she tested putting weight on her newly repaired leg. Amethyst stood close by, ready to catch her if the leg gave out.  
Pearl flexed the knee. " **Hmm... Yes. I think it's ready...** " she gave a quick pirouette, spinning on her right leg. " **Yes, I'm okay now.** "  
Amethyst wrapped her in a hug. " **Thank the stars...** " came her muffled voice in Pearl's chest.  
Pearl blushed, and hesitantly returned the hug. " **Thanks for carrying me...** " she mumbled, face burning.  
After a moment, Pearl glanced up. " **OH! Uh, Amethyst?** "  
" **Yeah, P?** "  
" **Exactly. The kids need to...** " Looking around, Pearl spotted a few small bushes a few metres off to the left.  
Amethyst stepped back and watched as Pearl summoned the two teens, catching them expertly before sending them off into the bushes one at a time.  
After a moment, the two swapped, Pearl providing hand sanitiser which was rubbed in enthusiastically.  
Once both were taken care of, Pearl sighed. " **Okay, back in. I estimate that it'll take us at least another week or so to make it there.** "  
Connie shivered slightly. " **Yeah, I'm fine with going back in. I'd almost forgotten how cold it was out here...** "  
Steven nodded, rubbing his hands together. " **Yeah. Inner Pearl promised us cheese toasties when we got back.** "  
Pearl chuckled. " **I know.** "

Amethyst came up. " **Hey... I want a cheese toastie...** " she smiled hopefully.  
Pearl glanced up. " **Um... Yeah, I can manage that. However, you will have to wait a few minutes while I make it.** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **Fine by me.** "  
Pearl stored Steven and Connie away again. After a few minutes, she paused and reached up, a steaming toasted sandwich on a paper plate appearing in front of her.  
" **Here you go.** " she passed it down to Amethyst, who grinned happily.  
" **Thanks, Pierogi.** " Grabbing half of the toastie, she licked her lips. " **Hmm, head cheese...** "  
" **Amethyst, that's gross.** " Pearl shook her head, amused despite herself.

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 ** _One Week Later..._**

" **Hey... there's the ocean.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **By my calculations... This is the hill where the barn will eventually be built. And that...** " she pointed towards the sparsely grassed peninsular. " **... is the future site of Beach City.** "  
Amethyst grinned. " **Hey, Pearl? Race ya!** " she laughed and started running.  
Pearl looked confused for a moment. " **Oh! Wait for me!** "  
As Amethyst neared the beach, a blur rushed past her. Screeching to a halt, she was amazed to find Pearl sitting on a boulder ahead, a smug look on her face.  
" **I win the race.** " Pearl smirked.  
Amethyst gaped. " **How di- Hey! No fair! You have longer legs than me!** " she huffed, blushing slightly as she looked at those legs.  
Pearl rolled her eyes as she hopped down from the boulder. " **Maybe you should have thought of that before you challenged me to a foot race, Shorty.** " she said, poking Amethyst's nose gently. " **Now, come on. We need to find ourselves some sort of shelter nearby.** "

As the two rounded the narrow cliff, Amethyst whistled. " **Wow, that's really unsettling. Not having the carving, I mean.** "  
Pearl nodded. " **Yes. This is actually close to what this cliff looked like before it became the Temple. There should be a crevice here. It's what eventually became the Temple rooms.** "  
As they came further around the cliff, they spotted the large crack running vertically through the cliffside, stopping just short of the top.  
" **Ah, there it is. I was worried that it hadn't formed yet.** " Pearl admitted with a blush. " **But this should provide adequate shelter for our remaining time here.** " she sighed. " **Now, there's a couple of things we need to build, for Steven and Connie's comfort.** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **A'ight. What kinda stuff?** "  
Pearl check off on her fingers. " **Well, for starters, a latrine. There's not much in the way of plant life here at the moment. So, we'll need to dig a deep hole, preferably somewhere a little away from the cliff... and then build some sort of shack over it for privacy.** "  
Amethyst cracked her knuckles. " **I can dig the hole. How deep ya want it?** "  
" **Hmm... Maybe around two or three metres? It probably doesn't need to be exact...** "

After a few minutes, Amethyst shook the dirt off herself. " **There. That'll do it, ya reckon?** "  
Pearl stepped back from the makeshift seat and looked down into the hole. " **Yes, that will do nicely. Now, help me assemble this.** "  
With a bit of effort, they managed to attach the corrugated metal sheets to each other, placing one on top for a roof.  
Pearl carefully finished riveting the hinge in, swinging the wall - now turned into a door - back and forwards. " **Okay, I just need to add a latch of some sort... Perhaps...** " she summoned a small hook and a metal loop, checking the measurements and riveting it to a spot halfway down the makeshift door. Pausing to added a plastic roll holder on the back of the door, she nodded. " **There.** " she stood back, satisfied. " **That should do it. I mean, they'll have to squat, yes... but that's actually healthier for their bodies anyway...** " she waved a hand dismissively.  
Amethyst chuckled. " **Ya learn that dissecting 'em back in the day?** "  
Pearl blushed. " **Amongst other things, yes...** " she cleared her throat. " **Now, we should get ourselves settled into that crevice. This cold is enough to make a** ** _ruby_** **shiver...** "

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 ** _Six Days Later..._**

Amethyst walked up the back of the cliffside, eyes on the thin Gem standing at the top. " **Hey, Pierogi. Whatcha doing up here?** "  
Pearl glanced over at her. " **I don't like the looks of those clouds... We may be in for a storm.** "  
Amethyst looked out to see thick dark clouds filling the horizon. Even at this distance, she could see the small flashes of lightning within the cloud. " **Yeah, looks pretty nasty... What do we do?** "  
Pearl thought for a moment. " **Hmm... Well, for starters, I'll have to warn the kids that they may be unable to come out for a while. They'll** ** _definitely_** **need to use the shack before the storm hits. Once they're done, we'll have to wrestle the walls of the shack into the crevice, so it doesn't blow away. Although, I suppose I could just store the entire thing intact in one go...** " she looked uncomfortable at the thought. " **Then we'll need to bunker ourselves down in the crevice, and just... wait it out. I just hope it doesn't hang around so long that we miss the ripple home...** "  
Amethyst placed a hand on Pearl's back. " **Hey, relax. If that was likely, then ya would have warned yourself when ya had the chance. Wait...** " she looked confused for a moment, then nodded. " **Yeah, that kinda makes sense.** "  
Pearl sighed. " **You're right. I'm being silly and paranoid again. I'm just worried, that's all.** "  
" **Nothing unusual there.** " Amethyst smirked, rubbing circles on Pearl's back.  
Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Yes, well. It's just... we're** ** _so_** **close to getting home. I don't want to get us this far, only to screw it all up at the last moment...** "  
Amethyst wrapped her in a hug. " **Hey, we'll be okay. You got us this far without too many problems. You'll get us home. Then, we can make out like teenagers.** "  
Pearl chuckled as she felt Amethyst grin into her chest, returning the hug with a blush. " **That is also a** ** _very_** **good reason not to miss that ripple.** "

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 ** _The Next Day..._**

As the water rushed into the crevice, the two Gems climbed up as high as they could go. Pearl braced her feet and back against the two walls of the crevice, wedging herself in as she clung protectively to Amethyst, who had ended up sitting in her lap, her arms wrapped around her tightly.  
The cliff shuddered from the impact of a particularly large wave, the water swirling around beneath them, only a scant few metres below their precarious spot.  
Amethyst whimpered slightly, as Pearl eyed the water nervously.  
Large pieces of ice floated in and out of the crevice, some breaking up as they slammed into the inner wall, others getting wedged tightly until another wave crushed them.  
Sharp biting snow blew in above it all, through the narrow gap between the ocean's fury and the top of the cliff, sending shivers through the two stationary Gems.

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 ** _The Next Day_** ** _..._**

As the wind died down, a small amount of sunlight started to show through the crevice.  
Pearl sighed with relief. " **Hey, Ame? It's over...** "  
Amethyst looked out towards the ocean as Pearl stroked the back of her head. " **Thank the stars...** "  
As the two looked at each other, they started grinning.  
Pearl leaned forwards and mashed her lips against Amethyst's, her eyes closing.  
Amethyst tensed slightly, then shuffled closer on Pearl's legs, her hand moving behind Pearl's head to pull her closer.  
As Amethyst gave a small moan, Pearl sighed, and pulled away.  
" **Huh? What's wrong?** " Amethyst panted.  
Pearl rubbed her eyes. " **Dammit! The kids need to... it's been almost two days...** "  
Amethyst groaned and rested her head on Pearl's shoulder. " **Man... that sucks..**."  
" **To be continued?** " Pearl blushed.  
Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. Probably should wait 'til we're home anyway...** "

Pearl summoned Steven and Connie, catching them with ease. " **Sorry, the hole got filled in by the storm. This is the only thing we could find on short notice. Amethyst will dig a new hole for you soon, but for now...** " She quickly summoned the large metal shack, placing down over the sand in the far corner of the beach.  
" **Pretend that you're cats.** " Amethyst suggested as the two kids looked at the flat sand through the open door.  
Connie dashed into the shack, almost slamming the door shut in her rush.  
Steven jiggled, looking very uncomfortable. " **Pearl, I don't think I can wait any longer...** " he moaned.  
Pearl summoned a roll of paper. " **Behind that boulder over there.** " she pointed.  
Steven grabbed the roll and ran as fast as he could, his other hand already undoing his jeans.

As Amethyst finished digging the new hole, Steven helped Pearl placed the shack over the top.  
" **So... How much longer? Until the ripple?** " Connie asked, jiggling on the spot to stay warm.  
Pearl glanced back. " **Uhh... Another twelve, maybe thirteen days...** " she sighed.  
Steven groaned. " **Why is this one taking so long?!** "  
Pearl shrugged as she reached in and replaced the roll. " **Well, it's likely just the first ripple that our other selves encountered once reaching this time period. After all, the lack of warp pads in the pre-colonisation era makes it difficult to reach any ripple in time. They most likely decided to just... head to the Temple site and wait until a ripple came to them. That became the only ripple they knew about, and so, it's the only one we can safely take. It's just a coincidence that it turned out to be the exact one needed to return home.** "  
Amethyst nodded. " **I can't believe how close we are... Man, I miss my room!** "  
Steven nodded. " **I miss dad...** "  
Connie smiled. " **My parents, my room... I... never thought I'd ever say this, but... I even miss school!** "  
As they looked at Pearl expectantly, she sighed. " **I miss Garnet, Bismuth, cleaning, doing laundry, even picking pink fur off of everything that Lion touches!** " she laughed. " **It'll be good to be home.** "


	15. Homecoming

**Beach City, modern day:**

Greg put the milk back into the fridge and looked at the small calendar hanging next to it. Sighing, he crossed off another day with the red pen hanging by a string. " **Day fifty-three, here we go...** " he muttered.  
After cooking the scrambled eggs, he shifted everything onto plates and took them out to the patio, settling two plates down in front of Priyanka and Doug, who whispered tired thanks as he turned to collect some cutlery.  
They slowly ate, the dark shadows under their eyes betraying their collective moods.  
The beach was empty, the Diamonds retreated to their ships, the newly built giant colourful arms hanging in the air nearby, gleaming and polished.  
Garnet and Bismuth came out, leaning against the railing with sighs.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and with a yell, Amethyst and Pearl appeared above the sand. They crashed to the ground, leaving a deep furrow in the sand as they skidded towards the water.  
Garnet jumped the railing, Bismuth right behind her as Peridot and Lapis came outside to see what the noise was about.  
Amethyst sat up, Pearl beside her, groaning slightly.  
They found themselves wrapped into Garnets arms as she openly sobbed onto both of their shoulders. " **You're back...** " she whispered. " **You're home...** "  
Bismuth tackled them from the other side, tears streaming down her face almost comically as she lifted all three Gems off of the ground. " **I knew ya could do it, Pearly!** "  
Amethyst and Pearl mentally shook themselves and furiously hugged their friends in return. " **We're back!** "

On the balcony, the rest stood nervously.  
" **Where are the kids?** " Priyanka whispered, her hands moving to Doug's with concern.  
Greg place a hand on her shoulder. " **Don't worry. I once saw Pearl stick my whole van in her head. The kids are probably in there, safe and sound.** " he nodded at the happy group of Gems on the sand. " **They've known each other for thousands of years. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl have probably never been apart this long. Give them a moment to celebrate.** "

After a few minutes, Bismuth let them back onto the ground. She used the front of her apron to wipe her eyes as Garnet held onto the two a bit longer.  
" **Garnet... I need to take the kids out.** " Pearl said gently, patting the fusions back comfortingly. " **You two will need to play catch.** "  
Garnet sighed and finally stepped back. " **Okay, I'll catch Steven. He owes me fifty-three days of hugs anyway.** "  
Pearl chuckled. " **You're... not going to let him go for at least a week, are you?** "  
" **Nope.** " Garnet said simply.

As Bismuth held her arms out, Connie appear in the air and fell into them with a giggle. " **Uh... Hi, Bismuth.** " she said nervously.  
Bismuth grinned. " **Heya, little Miss Diamond-Stabber!** " she gave the blushing girl a quick hug before placing her on her feet.  
" **Connie!** "  
Connie turned to see Priyanka and Doug running down the stairs. Priyanka jumped the last two and dashed across the sand.  
" **Mum!** " Connie ran forward, crashing into Priyanka arms with a sob. Doug quickly reached them and joined the hug, the three standing there shaking slightly as they cried and whispered to each other.

Greg walked down the stairs, eyes on Pearl as she turned to Garnet. A white flash of light, and Steven fell into the Gem's arms.  
" **Steven!** " Garnet cried, holding him tightly.  
" **Garnet! I missed you!** " Steven hugged her furiously.  
Suddenly, Garnet shifted and unfused. Ruby and Sapphire quickly wrapped their arms around the boy again, Ruby crying.  
Steven didn't miss a beat. " **Ruby! Sapphire! I missed you too!** "  
Bismuth reached down and affectionately rubbed Steven's hair. " **Hey there, Meatball.** "  
" **Bismuth!** " Steven laughed happily, tears in his eyes.  
A blur of blue, and Lapis was there, joining Ruby and Sapphire as she hugged Steven from behind. " **I was so worried!** " she sobbed.  
Peridot stumbled and landed face-first in the sand, spluttering and spitting sand out as she quickly scampered over on all fours. " **Steven,** **you** **clod! Never scare us like that again!** " she yelled, throwing her arms around both Ruby and Lapis and burying her face into Steven's shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, Steven squirmed. " **Guys, Steven needs to breath now.** "  
Reluctantly, Ruby and Sapphire peeled away. The two immediately went to hug Amethyst and Pearl, who greeted them happily.  
Finally, Pearl glanced over at Greg, standing beside her patiently. " **Peridot, Lapis... It's Greg's turn.** "  
Steven's head turned slightly as he tried to catch a view of his father. " **Dad!** "  
Lapis and Peridot slowly released their grips, and the boy quickly turned and jumped into Greg's arms. " **I missed you!** "  
Greg fell to his knees, tears in his eyes. " **I'm so glad you're safe...** " he whispered, arms tightening around his son.


	16. Epilogue

Garnet sat on the couch, her hand on Steven's hair as he slept soundly on her lap. Softly, she hummed a familiar tune, lulling the boy into a deeper sleep.

With a soft hiss, the Temple door slid open. Garnet glanced up to see Amethyst and Pearl standing there, looking awkward. As they glanced at each other nervously, she took a moment to glimpse into the most likely future.

As the two slowly walked past her towards the door, she grinned. " **Have fun.** " she whispered.

The two Gems paused, guilty blushes on their faces as they looked at her in panic.

Garnet gave a thumbs up, still grinning.

As their blushes deepened, they quickly but quietly opened the screen door and stepped outside.

Garnet heard faint whispering and the sound of footsteps as they went around the side of the house. The blue light of the laundry warp pad flickered through the window. ' **'bout time.** ' Garnet mused as she started humming again, her fingers gently massaging Steven's scalp.


End file.
